Meet The Family
by criminalxxxmindsxxxfreak
Summary: Sequel to "Across the Sky in Stars"  Morgan asks Reid to come with him when he visits his family for Christmas. How will the Morgans take the news of their relationship? Morgan/Reid SLASH Third installement in my Morgan/Reid series!
1. Then My Answer Is Yes

**A/N: WOOHOO! Sequel! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and alerted "Across the Sky in Stars"! I hope this doesn't disappoint! You guys rock! (OMG, I seriously can't believe there were 200 reviews! I didn't even expect 100!)**

**Yes, this is the sequel to "Across the Sky in Stars" and yes, you should probably read that first to understand this.**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash. If that offends you, please do not read this!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! *puppy eyes* pwetty, pwetty pwease!**

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_In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.  
_-** Eva Burrows**

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Ch. 1: Then My Answer Is Yes

Spencer Reid groaned and rolled over as his alarm clock blared the beginning of a new day. He lay in the bed, where it was still warm, and buried his face in the pillow, wishing that he'd taken Morgan up on his offer to sleep over the night before. But he knew what would almost inevitably happen if he had and he had been _tired. _He just wanted to go home and sleep. But now he really wished he had the extra body to warm the bed.

Grunting, he pushed the blanket back and shuddered slightly as the cold air hit him. He had turned the heat on and plugged in an electric heater the night before, but his apartment had bad insulation and it never seemed to stay warm during the cold winter nights. He really didn't want to get ready for work that morning. But he just reminded himself that they would be off for a week for Christmas - something that hadn't happened in a while - and he would be able to sleep in some then. Come to think of it, their vacation started after today, so he could sleep late tomorrow morning if he wanted to.

He quickly grabbed a towel and walked into his bathroom, making sure to get the water as hot as he could possibly stand it before climbing in and showering. He dressed quickly and yawned as he poured himself a cup of coffee and ate a bagel. He sighed and tapped his fingers restlessly against the counter as he stared at the tile behind the stove, not really thinking about anything at the moment.

He was jolted out of his pensive state by the ringing of his cell phone. He grabbed it off the counter and glanced at the caller ID, a small smile spreading across his face when he saw Morgan's name. "Derek," he answered immediately. "Good morning,"

He heard the other man laugh on the other end of the phone, "Good's not the word I'd use, Pretty Boy." he said. "Do you have any idea how cold it is outside?"

Reid glanced out the window and frowned, seeing frost developing on the glass. "Do I want to know?" he asked, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"It's almost ten below," Morgan said. "The coldest it's been all year."

Reid sighed. He really hated cold weather. He really did. He was half surprised it wasn't snowing. But that didn't mean it wouldn't soon… there was a chance, according to the weather man. A slim chance, considering how dry the air was lately, but still, a chance. "Great," he muttered.

"Bet you wish you'd stayed with me last night now, don't you?"

Reid frowned, "It's possible that I missed waking up next to you…" he said lightly. "But I was tired last night, Derek. And you don't seem to be able to keep your hands … off."

Morgan laughed, "I was tired too, Spencer. We both had a late flight home, or do you not remember that?"

"No I remember," Reid said, twirling his spoon in his coffee cup, idly stirring in the sugar. "I also remember how quickly you seem to wake up when the prospect of sex is present."

He could almost see Morgan rolling his eyes, "Sure, Spencer, I'm the _only _one who likes sex. I guess that means you forgot last week…"

Reid blushed and was immensely grateful that Morgan couldn't see his face. "That's irrelevant. Point is, I was tired and wanted to sleep. Just sleep. And you are a distraction from said sleep."

Morgan laughed, "Whatever you say," he said lightly. "Am I picking you up this morning?"

Reid thought about his car. It had been fixed for about two months - he'd called a car repair service the morning after the case in New Hampshire - but he still road with Morgan most mornings, only driving his own car occasionally in order to "keep up appearances" considering that only Prentiss and Garcia knew about their new relationship.

"Well…" Reid frowned, "It is on your way… and it's so cold outside…"

"That's a yes." Morgan said, grinning. "Which leaves you no choice, Pretty Boy. Tonight, you're staying at my place."

"But…"

"No buts. Either you ride in my warm car this morning and then tonight you stay at my place, or… you can get in your freezing cold car and sleep in you nice cold bed tonight."

Reid frowned, "You're enjoying this too much."

"What I enjoy is waking up with you in my arms, Pretty Boy. It was kind of lonely without you this morning."

Reid rolled his eyes, "Derek, this isn't the first time I've opted to not stay at your apartment, you know."

"I know," Morgan said, "But it was cold this morning…"

Reid sighed, "You think it was cold at your apartment?" he asked. "Trust me, Derek, it felt a lot colder than ten below zero when I woke up this morning."

"See, you should've stayed with me." Morgan said. "I rest my case."

Reid shook his head exasperatedly. "Fine, you win. I would've been happier staying with you… but I really did need the sleep, Derek."

"Make whatever excuses you want, Spencer." he said, pausing for a moment. "I'm almost at your apartment, see you in a few minutes."

"See you then…" Reid said, smiling slightly.

"Love you,"

"Love you too."

**~/.\~**

"Got any plans for Christmas?" Prentiss asked, leaning back in her chair and stretching. The annual Christmas party had been a few days ago and neither or Reid nor Morgan had shown up.

"Going home for a few days," Morgan said, twirling a pencil around his hands, looking bored. "Apparently Sara's got a new boyfriend and I've got to go to meet him."

"What about you, Reid?" Prentiss asked, raising a brow.

"Oh… um… well… not much," Reid said, shrugging.

Prentiss frowned, "You really need more of a social life, Reid."

"Hey! He has plenty of a social life," Morgan argued. "With me."

Prentiss rolled her eyes, "Sure, Morgan…" she said, grinning.

JJ walked out of her office and over to where they were standing. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Christmas plans," Prentiss said, smiling a little.

"Oh… Will and I are taking Henry with us to Pennsylvania for a couple of days to stay with my family. What about you, Emily?"

Prentiss cringed, "Me? I'm going to spend Christmas with my Mom and Dad… and get as wasted as I possibly can to keep from hearing the annual 'Why aren't you married yet?' speech." she said.

Reid frowned, feeling a little lonely all of a sudden. It seemed like everyone, even Hotch and Rossi, had made plans for their break, but all he could really say was he didn't have much to do. Which was true. He would go and visit his mother the day after Christmas - she always insisted that he come on the 26th because it too crowded on the 25th - but besides that, not much.

He sighed and went back to finishing his paper work, wistfully wondering what it would be like to actually have a real family to go home to spend the holidays with.

**~/.\~**

Morgan pressed his lips together when Reid climbed into the passenger side of the car. A sure sign that he was thinking about something. So Reid let him think. A few minutes later, Morgan spoke. "Spencer…"

"Hmm…?"

Morgan frowned a little, "What would you say if I asked you to come to Chicago with me this Christmas?"

Reid frowned, looking over at him surprised, "_Are _you asking me?" he asked.

Morgan laughed, "I guess I am," he said, smiling over at the man.

Reid pursed his lips, thinking about it. "I… I think I would love to." he said after a moment. Then he frowned, "But… have you even told your mom about … us?"

Morgan shrugged, "Not yet, but I'll call her tonight…"

"What if she hates me?" Reid asked, suddenly sounding nervous.

"She won't hate you, Pretty Boy. That's pretty much impossible. Plus, she really likes you anyway."

"How do you know that?" Reid asked, frowning.

"From when you and the team were in Chicago… when everything happened with Buford." he winced slightly and Reid nodded slowly. "She said she liked you. And if she says she likes you, it means she likes you."

"…Okay." Reid said, looking just as nervous as he sounded. "Then my answer is yes."

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**E/N: Soooo… What do you guys think? Good, bad, awful? Gots to know!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	2. You Keep Telling Yourself That, Derek

**A/N: :3 Thanks so much for all of the awesome reviews! I'm glad you guys like it so far! And thanks to everyone who added this to favorites and story alert as well! You guys rock!**

**Alright, so Reid's going to the Morgans' for Christmas now… Wonder how that'll work out…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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Ch. 2: You Keep Telling Yourself That, Derek

The morning of their flight came all too soon for Reid. He was more nervous than he wanted to admit about spending Christmas with Morgan's family. He'd met Fran, Sara and Desiree before, of course… but not as Morgan's… boyfriend. Not as his lover. Not as any of the things they had become to each other in the last two months. He was extremely worried about their reactions. He wanted them to like him, despite the fact that Morgan assured him that they already did; that was _before _they had become a couple.

He woke up before Morgan did that morning and sat up, wrapping his arms around his chest, though it was definitely much warmer in Morgan's apartment, lying next to Morgan, than it had been when he was alone in his own bed. He was so anxious he didn't know what to do. He slipped out of the bed, careful not to wake Morgan, and walked into the living room, looking around at the place.

In the last two months, he'd been at Morgan's more than he'd been home. He stayed over most nights, and even when he didn't, he and Morgan usually ended up here for dinner or to watch a movie. He'd almost lost count of the number of times the two of them had fallen asleep on the couch together, just watching a movie. He sighed and wandered into the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine and getting a cup down from the cabinet.

His fingers drummed restlessly against the countertop while he waited for the coffee to be done and he stared out the small window between the microwave and the oven. There was a bit of frost on the window, though it still hadn't snowed, and there weren't many people outside yet. He realized that was probably because it wasn't even eight o'clock.

He yawned and took several sugar packets that Morgan had started keeping there for him and poured them into the bottom of his coffee cup and poured coffee on top of it, stirring it quickly before bringing the steaming liquid to his lips and smiling.

Morgan laughed, coming into the kitchen in nothing but his boxers, "You're up early…" he said, raising a brow.

"Couldn't sleep." Reid said, shrugging.

Morgan snorted, "Please, you were out cold by ten last night. I had to carry you to bed."

Reid shrugged, "I woke up again."

"When?" Morgan asked, leaning against the counter, staring at him.

"I didn't look at the time!" Reid said, shaking his head.

"Sure…" Morgan rolled his eyes, smiling at the younger man. "So why couldn't you sleep, Pretty Boy?"

Reid pressed his lips together, "I… I'm nervous."

"Nervous? About going to Chicago with me? Spencer, I already told you, they love you. Who wouldn't?"

"I can name a few people…" Reid said, sighing. "What if they hate me, Derek? Honestly, it's not exactly easy for some families to accept that their son or daughter is … homosexual… or bisexual…"

Morgan snorted, "What would your mom say? Or have you told her already?"

Reid frowned, "No, I haven't told her yet… I don't know _how _to tell her, honestly. Maybe I'll tell her when I go to Vegas on the 26th… But my mom's not the best example, Derek. She's not like a lot of other moms. She always let me be who I was and as long as I was happy and safe, she didn't - doesn't - care. To be honest, she'd probably be thrilled."

Morgan laughed, "Moms are more accepting than you think, sometimes, Spencer. Especially when it comes to their kids loving someone. Some parents might not like the idea, true, but my mom isn't one of them. She could care less if you had webbed feet and breathed fire. As long as I love you, that's all that really matters. It doesn't matter that you have a penis instead of a vagina -"

"Do you have to be so blunt?" Reid interrupted him, blushing slightly

"How else would I put it?" Morgan asked, raising a brow, "It's true."

"Couldn't you have just said 'man' and 'woman'?"

"I _could _have, but I wanted to make a point, Mr. Genius." Morgan grinned. "What I was saying was, it doesn't matter to her, trust me. If I love you, and you love me, that's all that's important."

Reid sighed and shook his head, "What time does the flight leave?"

"Eleven…" Morgan said, glancing at the clock on the microwave. "…We should get ready."

**~/.\~**

Reid was still fidgety on the plane, glancing out the small window every few minutes and pondering how much it would hurt if he just plummeted right there. He wanted Morgan to want his family to know about them, but he didn't want to face them and see their reactions. He was so incredibly torn. He really wanted them to like him, to accept him, but he wasn't so sure that they would.

"Spencer will you calm down." Morgan said, eyeing him worriedly. "You're going to be fine."

Reid sighed, and turned to look at him, "What did your mom say? When you told her about me?"

"She said she couldn't wait to meet you."

Reid frowned, "But, she has met me." he pointed out, looking confused.

"She doesn't know that." Morgan said, shrugging.

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't tell her it was _you._" Morgan explained. "I just said I was bringing someone home for Christmas…"

"What?" Reid's eyes widened. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"I did. Just not everything. Look, Spencer, my mom will love you, but this is the kind of news that it better given in person than over the phone, alright?"

"Did you tell her I was a man?" Reid asked, looking worried.

"No, I just said 'someone'. I'm sure she'll figure it out when we get there."

Reid glared at him, "Derek! You were supposed to tell her!"

"I did tell her." Morgan argued. "But it's not exactly easy to tell your mom news like that over the phone. She asked what your name was and I told her it was a surprise. Trust me, she'll love you."

Reid sighed, shaking his head. "I can't believe you didn't tell her." he muttered, looking out the window again. Morgan sighed and put a hand on Reid's knee, squeezing gently, "I'm sorry, Pretty Boy. But I just figured this was the best way to do things. She'll be a little freaked out, but she'll still love you, I promise."

"Freaked out?" Reid asked, frowning. "Only if you can't learn to keep your hands to yourself before the plane lands."

Morgan raised a brow, "Are you trying to say something?"

"That you can't keep your hands off of me? No… not at all…" Reid rolled his eyes.

Morgan laughed, "Alright, Mr. Smarty-pants… is that a challenge?"

Reid pursed his lips, remembering a somewhat similar conversation they'd had and where it had led to. "No. Just a fact." he replied. "I'm certainly not complaining."

Morgan grinned, his hand sliding a little farther up Reid's leg, from his knee to his thigh. "I didn't think so." he said, grinning wider when blush heated Reid's face.

"We're in public, Derek." Reid hissed, taking his wrist and moving his hand down again.

Morgan sighed and sat back in his seat, "Just wait 'til we get alone, Spencer." he whispered, leaning over toward Reid. "You're definitely not gonna get any sleep tonight, Pretty Boy."

Reid blushed again and looked away, "You keep telling yourself that, Derek." he whispered back, both of them slightly oblivious to the other passengers on the plane, some of whom were giving the couple odd looks. Others who thought it was sweet and some who were similarly wrapped up in their own lives.

"No, that's what I know." Morgan replied, chuckling slightly at the ever deepening blush on Reid's face.

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**E/N: Ah, the wonderfully obvious sexual innuendos… aren't they great? XD**

**Sigh, I'm a perv, yes, and I HAD to put in that lovely line from Morgan when they were talking in the kitchen… I laughed too hard thinking about it not to :)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	3. Do You Love Him?

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews guys! You rock! And of course, thanks to everyone who added this to favorites and alert!**

**Hmm… I'm thinking that Reid and Morgan are gonna actually get to Chicago in this chapter… YAY! **

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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Ch. 3: Do You Love Him?

Reid was growing increasingly more worried as they unloaded their bags from the taxi, just outside of Morgan's house. He stared up at the small, relatively average house and was filled with dread. He wasn't even so scared of facing down killers and psychopaths, but behind that door was either salvation or condemnation. He felt like he was being judged by some higher being and if the verdict was bad he was going to be sentenced to an eternity in Hell…

Morgan sighed, seeing the anxious look in Reid's eyes. "Spencer, will you please stop worrying. They're going to love you."

Reid pressed his lips together, clutching his messenger bag tighter to his chest, his duffle bag slung over his shoulder haphazardly. "I'm not so sure…" Reid said quietly. Morgan would've laughed at the fear that made Reid's voice tremble, but this was serious to him and he knew Reid was just being paranoid.

"Spencer…" Morgan sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, let's go in and I'll prove that I'm right."

Reid swallowed hard and nodded slowly, "O-Okay." he stuttered, casting pleadingly anxious eyes to Morgan's face for a second before following him up the small sidewalk and to the front door.

Morgan knocked a few times on the door and stood back, waiting. Moment's later, Fran Morgan, wearing an apron, her curly hair tied up in a messy bun, opened the door with a wide grin. "Derek! You're here early!"

"Flight took less time than we expected," he explained, hugging his mother tightly.

"So, where's this mystery woman?" Fran asked, raising a brow. She hadn't seen Reid, who was standing behind Morgan, off to the side.

Morgan cleared his throat, "About that…"

"She didn't come?" Fran asked, looking disappointed.

"No… it's just that…" He frowned and stepped to the side slightly so that his mother now had a good view of Reid. He pressed his lips together, wishing he could control the blush that was already beginning to heat his face, and waved slightly from where he was standing.

Fran blinked, staring at him. "Dr. Reid? …" she frowned, tilted her head to the side and comprehension lit her face. "Well… this is certainly… unexpected." she frowned again, "Why don't you two come inside, it's freezing out here."

Reid ducked his head and followed Morgan into the house, breathing a sigh of relief to be out of the freezing cold. "Just put your bags down here for now," Fran said, motioning to a cleared area next to the door. "Come on, into the living room… I think you've got some explain to do, Derek."

Morgan almost groaned, but held it back and followed his mom, dragging Reid along reluctantly by the hand.

They sat down on the couch, side by side, and Fran sat across from them in a large arm chair. "Where's Sara and Desi?" Morgan asked, looking around the familiar living room.

"Desiree is finishing her shift at the hospital and Sara should be here in a couple of hours. I told them you were going to be here today." Fran answered, studying her son's face for a moment.

"Did Desiree move out after she got her job? She didn't tell me."

"Yes, she's got a small apartment across town, closer to the hospital now." Fran said, frowning for a moment… "So… how long?"

Morgan shifted slightly and bit his lip, "Momma…"

"It's just a question, Derek."

"Two months." Morgan answered, sighing.

"So you didn't tell me for two months?" Fran looked surprised. "Why not?"

"We haven't told anyone really… The team doesn't know. Well, Prentiss and Garcia figured it out, but other than that, we haven't told anyone. Spencer's mom doesn't even know yet."

"I see," Fran was frowning again. Then she turned to Reid, "Do you love him?" she asked suddenly.

Reid looked up, surprised by the question, "I… of course I do." he answered, surprised.

She nodded slowly, "And does he treat you right?"

That question definitely caught him off guard, "I… what do you mean, exactly?"

Fran smiled, "Derek has a reputation as a lady's man… I hear things," she said at the question look from Morgan. "And I can remember a long string of girlfriends in college, one right after another. I just want to make sure he's treating you right."

Reid blinked, "Yes… he is." he answered. "He… he's wonderful."

Fran nodded again, still focused intently on Reid. "So he doesn't tease you?"

"Well… that's different." Reid said slowly. "He's always done that. To everyone."

Fran's lips quirked up in a smile, "True… But he has a temper too… Derek you're watching your temper aren't you?"

Reid was surprised at the questions she was asking. She seemed more concerned about him than Morgan…

Morgan bit his lip, remembering the case in New Hampshire when he'd snapped at Reid. "I…"

"Of course he is!" Reid frowned, "You've never lost your temper with anyone on the team… well, except Hotch."

Morgan laughed, shaking his head. "You're forgetting New Hampshire," he said slowly.

Reid stiffened slightly at the mention of that case. "But… that wasn't really your fault and no one really blames you -"

"Hotch definitely did." Morgan said, "And Prentiss did."

"Prentiss?" Reid looked confused. Then again, so did Fran.

"She… I probably wouldn't have gone looking for you if she hadn't told me what a jerk I was being." Morgan explained.

"Oh…" Reid frowned, "Still, it wasn't your fault. And besides that, I'm fine."

Morgan shook his head but didn't press the matter. He knew Reid would probably never admit just how much it had bothered him, so he let it go.

"Derek," Fran frowned, "I hope you're going to be good to him. People deserve the best of you."

Morgan smiled, "Trust me, momma, I'd never hurt him."

She smiled too, "Good. I wouldn't be very happy with you if you did."

Reid shifted on the couch, "Um… Mrs. Morgan -"

"Fran, please."

"Fran," Reid corrected himself. "Why are you so concerned with how Derek's treating me?"

"Because I know him," she said. "And I love him. And I want to make sure that my baby boy is being good to the person he loves." she explained.

He pursed his lips and nodded slowly, "You're not… bothered by …us?"

"What do you mean?" she looked confused.

"I mean… um… it doesn't bother you that I'm… a man?"

"Why would it?" Fran asked, smiling gently at him. "If you two love each other, who am I to say it's wrong? People said Derek's father and I shouldn't have gotten married because he was black and I was white. I learn to ignore people. Love doesn't have a gender or race. Love is love."

Reid nodded slowly, "I just thought… especially with us just springing this on you… that you'd be… more opposed to the idea."

Fran smiled, "Well, I'm not happy that Derek hasn't told me… but I suppose I can forgive him this one time… You two are happy together, aren't you?"

"I'm the happiest I've been in a long time," Morgan answered, slipping and arm around Reid's waist and pulling him closer to him.

Fran didn't even bat an eyelash. She paused, smiled and then sighed. "So, does this mean I won't be getting any grandbabies from you, Derek?"

Morgan groaned and tossed his head back against the couch, "Momma!" he muttered, shaking his head.

Fran laughed, "It's just a question Derek… have you and - it's Spencer, isn't it? - talked about having children?"

"We've been together two months!" Morgan shook his head. "We're not talking about having kids!"

Reid pressed his lips together, his face incredibly red, and looked down, thoroughly embarrassed but also happy to have Morgan's mom like him. That was one obstacle averted. Now he just had to do this all over again with Sara and Desiree…

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**E/N: Strange, the conversation with Morgan's mom was longer than I expected it to be.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it! Let me know!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	4. You Can Help Me Hide the Body

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I heart you guys! And of course, thanks to everyone who has added this to favorites and alert! You guys rock!**

… **Chapter 4... Protective siblings? Lol, maybe y'all forgot about Sara's BF… well, Morgan's not too happy 'bout him… I wonder if Sara feels the same way about poor Reid…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

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Ch. 4: You Can Help Me Hide the Body

Morgan dragged Reid with him upstairs, carrying most of their bags, to his old bedroom where they would be staying for the next couple of days. Reid looked around the slightly cramped space, smiling and shaking his head. Apparently, not much had changed since Morgan had left for college. There were still frayed posters on the wall from _Sports Illustrated, _scattered trophies littered the book shelves and there was an old football lying in the corner next to the dresser.

The bed was large enough, with a simple blue blanket on it that was probably the only thing that was new in the room at all. "Your mom never wanted to do anything with the room?" he asked, raising a brow.

Morgan shrugged, "I guess not… she left Sara and Desi's room the same too… of course, Des only moved out a couple of months ago…"

Reid frowned, tilting his head slightly and staring at a poster tacked over the bed of a blond woman in a skimpy red bikini. "I can't believe your mom let you put this on your wall…" he shook his head.

Morgan grinned, "What? I was a teenager… there's this thing called puberty, Dr. Reid. I'm sure you'll figure out what it is one of these days."

Reid turned around to face him, giving him a sour look, "Derek -"

"I was kidding!" Morgan interrupted him before he could get too angry.

Reid squinted his eyes, considering whether or not to pursue the argument. Eventually he decided it wasn't worth it and turned to study the other posters that were still on the walls. There were a few of Michael Jordan and some other 'famous' sports stars that he had never heard of before. Not that it meant much. He wasn't exactly interested in sports.

Morgan watched Reid study the room for a long time before he spoke again, "You know, you don't have to profile my room, Spencer. I'm pretty sure you already know everything anyway."

Reid blushed and looked down, "I wasn't actually profiling the room, Derek." he said, shifting slightly. "I was just… curious." he bit his lip, "Y-You know, it's hard to tell… from this bedroom… that you were suffering so much…" he looked away quickly, well aware that he was straying into dangerous waters with that comment.

Morgan sighed heavily, sitting down on the edge of the bed and taking Reid's hand, pulling him down next to him. "I… I hid it well. I got good at that, after my dad died. I had to be strong, you know? I was the man of the house…" he shook his head. "It's weird, I can look around my room now and remember all of the happy times I had as a kid, but back then… I hated everything about this room because it was a lie. It said I was a happy, normal teenager who loved sports and pretty girls… And maybe that was true, for the most part, but that was just on the surface. I used to hate coming in here at night and seeing those trophies…" he nodded over to the cluttered bookcase. "They were like constant reminders of what _he _was doing…"

He sighed again and pulled Reid against him. Reid closed his eyes and laid his head on his shoulder, "I shouldn't have brought it up," he said, feeling guilty. He had heard the pain in Morgan's voice. Had seen the sparkling formation of tears in his eyes.

"It's not your fault, Pretty Boy." Morgan said, shaking his head.

Reid sat up straighter and met Morgan's eyes, "Derek… you… after what happened to you, how could you ever… ever trust another man again?" there was something behind the curiosity and concern in his eyes that made Morgan wonder why he asked, but he didn't press that issue.

"I… It took a long time, Spencer, to trust anyone. But when I joined the team… even before you were on the team, Hotch and Gideon bother were like fathers to me. I wasn't trusting at first and even after we became more like a family, trusting people wasn't easy. But I trust everyone on the team with my life now… And I'd like to think they trust me the same way…"

Reid nodded slowly, "But… what about… me? I mean, I just… after what happened… and you said you'd never… Well… how could you do it? I can't imagine how hard it was for you to… to realize that you… and …" He frowned. "I have no idea how to ask the question." he sighed, shaking his head.

Morgan laughed, "I think I understand… And trust me, it wasn't easy. I almost had a panic attack after you ran out that night. I woke up the next morning and thought it had been a dream - a horrible dream considering that was when I realized that I liked you as a lot more than a friend - but then I got to work that day and you were purposefully avoiding me. I knew it had really happened then… And I argued with myself for days about what it meant and why I felt that way and… you just kept avoiding me, which was irritating as Hell, just so you know, but finally I got you to talk to me and… we kissed again and I just… kept reminding myself that you weren't him… It made it a lot easier to forget about Carl."

Reid frowned, nodding slowly. Before he could respond, however, Fran's voice floated upstairs. "Derek! Sara's here! And she brought her boyfriend!"

Morgan scowled, looking unhappy. "Derek," Reid put a hand on his arm, shaking his head. "How do you expect her to accept that _you _have a boyfriend if you can't accept that she has a boyfriend?"

Morgan sighed, realizing that Reid probably had a point there. "I'll give him a chance…" he said slowly. "But I might have to kill him… you can help me hide the body."

Reid raised a brow, smiling slightly, "Hide the body? Derek, you and I both know that hiding it won't work. Bodies are always eventually found. You should dissolve it in acid, that always works… in movies."

Morgan chuckled, shaking his head and leading Reid back downstairs to meet Sara and her new boyfriend.

**~/.\~**

Fran was in the kitchen when they got downstairs, Sara and her boyfriend were waiting in the living room, sitting next to each other of the love seat next to the chairs across from the couch. "Derek!" Sara grinned and stood, hugging her brother. She looked like she was about to ask something when she spotted Reid for the first time, "Dr. Reid?" she looked confused. "Derek, I thought Momma said that …" she paused, catching the look on Morgan's face. He slowly reached out and took Reid's hand, pulling him forward and closer to him.

"Sara, this is Spencer… my boyfriend."

She blinked, looking between the two of them incredulously for a long moment. "Boyfriend." she repeated, frowning around the word. "You're saying…" she chewed her lip, trying to think of the proper way to phrase her question. "You two are, like, dating? Each other?"

"Yes," Morgan said nodding.

She pressed her lips together for a moment, studying Reid carefully. "Huh…" she tilted her head, "For how long?"

"Two months,"

"Two months…" she echoed. "Well… you know what this means, Derek."

He frowned, looking confused. She smiled, "You don't get to tell me how much you hate T.J."

Morgan suddenly remembered the other man sitting on the loveseat, looking a little uncomfortable and out of place. "Derek, Spencer, this is T.J. Yarrow. My boyfriend." Sara introduced them.

The man stood and stretched out his hand awkwardly, "It's nice to meet you, Derek…" he said slowly, eyeing him warily.

Derek frowned, his jaw tightening just slightly, "You too." he said.

T.J. cleared his throat as they all sat back down, "Sara says you work for the FBI…" he looked nervous and Morgan suddenly understood his apprehension.

"Yeah, Spencer and I both do." he said, glancing toward Reid who looked about as uncomfortable as T.J. did. "What do you do?" he narrowed his eyes.

T.J. frowned and cleared his throat, "I… I'm a veterinarian." he said.

Morgan nodded slowly. He was about to ask another question, when Reid cleared his throat, "Um… where's the bathroom?" he asked.

"Upstairs on the right," Sara said, standing. "I'll show you… Derek's busy giving T.J. the third degree…"

Morgan frowned, watching his sister walk away with Reid, and then turning back to T.J., continuing to grill the young man.

**~/.\~**

As soon as they reached the landing, Sara took Reid's arm and steered him a little farther into the hall. "So… you and my brother are together?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.

He nodded slowly, "Yes…"

"And this isn't some twisted joke Derek thought up?"

"No," Reid shook his head, pressing his lips together.

She tilted her head again, studying him. "Who made the first move?" she asked.

"Huh?" Reid looked confused…

"Which one of you asked the other out first?" Sara clarified.

"Oh… Well, Derek asked me out… after … after he kissed me." Reid frowned, looking down at the floor.

"He kissed you?" Sara looked surprised, but then reasoned it out in her head and nodded. "Have you two had sex yet?"

Reid looked up, completely startled by the question. "Wh-what?"

She waved her hand in the air, like her mother did, "It's just a question," she said. "I'm curious. Besides, I'm sure Derek's asking the same questions I'm asking you anyway."

Reid pressed his lips together, "Yes…" he said slowly.

She nodded, "You're both being careful right? I mean, I know there's no pregnancy risk, but… well … STDs are still -"

"I don't have any STDs," Reid assured her. "I…" he stopped himself before he could tell her that he had been a virgin before he and Morgan got together.

"Did you have sex on the first date?" Sara asked.

"No!" Reid looked completely shocked by the idea.

She nodded, seemingly oblivious to Reid's reaction to the question. "Do you love him?"

"Of course I do."

"Have you told him that yet?" she asked.

"I … yes."

"Has he told you that he loves you?"

"Yes…" Reid answered, wondering if _all _siblings were so protective of each other. He really didn't want to have to go through this all over again with Desiree.

"Who said it first?" she asked.

"Derek said he loved me first."

She looked surprised again, and smiled a little. "I'm not trying to … question your relationship, Dr. Reid… - can I call you Spencer? - It's just… Derek's my brother and I want to make sure he's making good choices… It's nothing against you."

He nodded slowly, "I understand… sort of." he said, frowning. "I don't have any brothers or sisters myself, I can't fully understand what you're feeling, but I can guess."

She smiled, "I bet Momma was thrilled… she really liked you, you know? When we first met you. She said you were sweet… She even tried to get Desi to ask you out…"

Reid blushed, looking down. "Derek would've killed me… and I'm not exaggerating."

She grinned, "I know, he's always been like that. Every time Desiree or I get a boyfriend he does the same thing…" she rolled her eyes, grinning.

She paused for a moment and pursed her lips. "What about your parents? How'd they take the news? Or have you told them?"

Reid cleared his throat. Obviously Morgan hadn't told them about his mom… maybe not even about his dad. "Oh… I haven't told them. I'm going to tell my mom when I visit her after Christmas."

Sara nodded, "What about your dad?" she asked curiously.

"I… probably won't tell my father. He… uh… left when I was ten. I 'met' him again a couple of years ago but… he never really seemed to want to be a part of my life anyway." he shrugged, avoiding her eyes when he said it.

"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't know." she looked sad for a moment.

"It's alright… I'm over it by now." Reid shrugged again.

She smiled, nodding slowly. "So… did you actually have to use the bathroom or was than an excuse to get away?"

Reid smiled too, "It was getting very awkward down there."

"That it was," Sara agreed. "Shall we go and see if Derek's finished with his interrogation?"

Reid grinned at her, nodding and following her back down the stairs. Two Morgans down… one more to go.

**

* * *

**

E/N: I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty dang proud of this chapter, but Idk why… I just feel like I actually did a good job on it… which is odd, bc usually I'm very iffy about chapters… does that mean this one sux? Great, now I'm worried again…

**Don't forget to review!**


	5. My Brother Has a Boyfriend

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I heart you guys! And thanks for all of the favorites and alerts adds! You peoples are amazing!**

**And now… Desiree's reaction…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 5: My Brother Has a Boyfriend

Morgan pursed his lips, frowning at T.J. Sara had followed Reid upstairs, he knew it was so that she could ask him her own questions… He sighed and leaned against the seat of the couch, staring at the man. "I suppose you're okay…" he said slowly, trying very hard to remember that his sister was an adult and had every right to date whoever she wanted to. And… T.J. didn't seem like such a bad guy anyway. He had a steady job that made good money, owned a nice Condo across town… he seemed to have everything together. It wasn't as if Morgan could ask for much else.

He noticed the look of relief on T.J. face when he said that and smiled slightly, "I'm not gonna shoot you, you know." he assured him. "Not unless you hurt my sister."

T.J. eyed him nervously again, trying to determine whether or not the FBI agent was serious in his threat. Something told him the man was only half joking when he said that. "I would never hurt her," he promised. "I love her,"

Morgan nodded, "Does she know that?"

"Of course," T.J. answered, "I told her that…"

Morgan studied the man's face, he still seemed slightly on edge, but he couldn't blame him.

T.J. cleared his throat… "So… um… this isn't really my business, but I'm just gonna take a guess and say you only just now came out to your family…"

Morgan waited a minute before responding, trying to detect any hint of insult in the man's question. He didn't find any, so he nodded, "It's the first time I've ever brought anyone home for the Christmas at all… and the first time I've ever dated another man."

T.J. nodded, "I figured that… Sara took it a lot better than my sister did when my brother, Andrew came home with a guy last year." he said.

Morgan looked surprised, "Really?" that was probably the last thing he expected to hear.

"Yeah… funny thing is… Andrew was always the guy who got all the girls in school… I can't even tell you home many girlfriends he had in college…"

Sara and Reid were walking back into the living room then, "Sounds like Derek," She said, smiling. "I'm not sure I ever saw him with the same girl twice."

Morgan frowned, "Sara, that's not true… I had… some meaningful relationships."

Reid shook his head, "I _know_ I've never seen you with the same girl twice, Derek." he said. "And I've worked with you for years… I've seen you with several girls at the same time, but never the same girl more than once."

Morgan rolled his eyes, "I've never seen _you _with the same girl twice either, Spencer." he muttered.

"Lila and Austin don't count as much of track record," Reid pointed out. "Besides, Austin and I actually did date for a couple of months… but the long distance thing didn't work out."

Morgan frowned, "How come you never told me?"

"Because one of two things would've happened… you would've teased me about until I was tempted to shoot you, or you would've told Garcia and she would've annoyed me until I actually did shoot you." Reid answered, smiling.

Morgan laughed, shaking his head, "Whatever, kid."

"I'm not a kid." Reid protested, frowning.

"What are you, fifteen now?" Morgan teased.

Reid pressed his lips together, "Derek." he warned, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" Morgan asked innocently. "I didn't do anything…"

Reid raised a brow, then he grinned, "Ok, fine. I'm fifteen… legally, that puts a halt to any of your plans for the next few days."

Morgan glared at him, "Not funny."

"Yes it is," Reid said, grinning.

T.J. glanced at Sara, raising a brow, but she just grinned, shaking her head. "That's what happens when you keep teasing someone your dating, Derek. They deny you sex."

Reid blushed and Morgan shook his head, "He only thinks he is," Morgan said.

Reid snorted then, "I don't _think. _I _know._" he said, smirking at him. Morgan's phone started buzzing and he sighed, "Morgan," he answered, slightly annoyed.

"Baby Girl, why are you calling me? What do you mean… slow down… No. What? …" he tapped his fingers impatiently against his arm. "Are you calling me just to ask that? … Garcia! … I'm not a doctor, but that's impossible. … Because it is! …" he pressed his lips together, "I'm gonna hang up on you, Baby Girl… You'd better not. … Fine. … NO! I'm not gonna tell him that. … Don't you dare… Alright, alright! Fine. … Bye." He hung up, shaking his head incredulously.

"What did she want?" Reid asked curiously.

"To annoy me. She and Kevin went out dancing last night and… she got wasted."

"Garcia got drunk?" Reid blinked, surprised.

"And she called me because she had a dream and wanted to make sure that it didn't happen because apparently, it wasn't pretty."

"What dream?"

Morgan smiled, shaking his head, "She said to tell you to make sure that you use birth control."

"Wh-what?" Reid spluttered, shocked.

"She had a dream last night that you got pregnant… and it wasn't pretty."

"B-But, that's impossible, and … highly disturbing."

"Yeah, well, apparently, if I didn't tell you, she was gonna call Hotch and tell him everything that we told her that day after we got back from Houston."

"We?" Reid frowned. "I didn't tell her anything. You did."

"Who was it who couldn't lie well enough to make her shut up?"

Reid narrowed his eyes, "I can't lie to Garcia! She'd kill me!"

"You can't lie to anyone… you're not good at it." Morgan informed him, grinning again.

Reid rolled his eyes, "And that's a bad thing?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Absolutely," Morgan grinned.

There was a knock at the door and they all looked up. "Desi's here." Sara said, standing. "I'll get it." she hurried off to the front door. A moment later, Fran walked into the living room, smiling. "So, I take it Sara took it well…"

"Of course she did, Momma." Morgan assured her, smiling.

"She took it better than Derek took her having a boyfriend," Reid added.

Morgan frowned and Fran sighed, "Derek," she warned. "T.J. is a nice young man… you've got to stop being so protective of your sisters,"

"I didn't do anything, Momma!" Morgan protested. "I just asked questions."

Fran pursed her lips, hearing Sara and Desiree coming down the hall, "He didn't hit you, did he?" she asked, glancing at T.J. who smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Ok…" she said, "Don't let me hear that you did, Derek. You're not too old to be grounded."

"What did he do this time?" Desiree asked, grinning as she walked into the living room.

"Threatening poor T.J.," Fran answered, nodding toward Sara's boyfriend.

Desiree smiled, "Derek, grow up a little," she teased, "T.J., if you ignore him, he'll leave you alone, I promise."

Morgan rolled his eyes, "_I _need to grow up?" he muttered.

She grinned, shaking her head. Then she spotted Reid, sitting next to Morgan and frowned, "Dr. Reid? What are you doing here? I thought -" she paused, noticing how close together the two of them were sitting. "Ohhh." She said, blinking. "Well… that's a surprise."

She sat down in the chair that Fran had sat in earlier.

"What, that's it?" Morgan frowned, looking confused.

"Should there be more? My brother has a boyfriend… Dr. Reid seems like a nice guy, you're stubborn so I couldn't change your mind even if I wanted to… Clearly Momma and Sara approve already… I'm surprised. Not appalled. Jeesh, Derek, I've got four gay friends, I'd almost be a hypocrite if I said that I didn't like you dating another man. It's your life, and besides, he's the first person you've ever brought home to meet us… That must mean he means something to you."

Morgan blinked, "Well… good, then." he frowned.

"So, Spencer, how long have you been putting up with Derek?"

Reid laughed, "I've been working with him for eight years, five months, two weeks, four days, seven hours, forty minutes and… 24 seconds." He said, glancing quickly at his watch. "But we've only been together for two months."

Desiree blinked, "I'm sorry…" she shook her head. "I remember growing up with him… it was horrible."

"Hey! I was a good brother." Derek muttered.

"You were an annoying brother," Desiree corrected him, smiling. "And you haven't changed all that much."

"Momma are you gonna let her insult me like that?" Morgan asked, looking over at his mom, who was watching them argue with a smile on her face.

Fran smiled, "Oh, Derek, you're a big boy… fend them off yourself."

Morgan blinked, "Momma!"

Desiree laughed, "Look who's not Momma's baby anymore." she teased, rolling her eyes.

Fran laughed and a timer went off in the kitchen, "Dinner's ready!" she announced, hurrying to get the food out of the oven.

* * *

**E/N: Eh, I feel so-so about this chapter…**

**That phone call w/Garcia wasn't planned, btw. I was typing and for some reason it popped into my head and I laughed, so it got put in there… I kind of like the idea of a hung-over Garcia calling Morgan to warn him of the dangers of male pregnancy, lol. Don't worry, I will NEVER write and Mpreg story (srry 4 those of u who like them, I'm not a fan)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	6. You're Not Getting Any Sleep Tonight

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I'm thrilled you guys are still liking this! And of course, thanks so much to everyone who added this to favorites and alert as well!**

**YAY! Chapter 6 is here! Hmm… not sure what to say…**

**WARNING: c'mon, people if you haven't figured out this is slash by chapter 6 you might want to rethink your priorities a little, just sayin'! Morgan/Reid SLASH**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 6: You're Not Getting Any Sleep Tonight

Reid had expected the dinner table to be awkward, but it was pretty much the opposite. Sara, Desiree, Fran and Derek were teasing and laughing and joking around most of the meal. It seemed the only two who were uncomfortable were him and T.J.

T.J. had apparently met the Morgans - except Morgan - before, but only once or twice judging by the way he referred to Fran as "Mrs. Morgan" or "Ma'am" throughout dinner. Sara tried to loosen him up, which seemed to work, but it was obvious that he still didn't quite feel like he belonged. Of course, Reid felt the same way and Morgan could tell and was doing the same things Sara was to get him to relax.

After dinner, the group moved to the living room, Reid and Morgan sitting next to each other on the couch, Desiree sitting on the other side of her brother. Fran sat in the worn out chair and Sara and T.J. sat on the loveseat. They turned on the TV and Sara, who had the remote, began flipping through channels, looking for something to watch.

"_A Christmas Story_!" Desiree called as her sister flipped past it. "C'mon, Sara, that's a great movie!"

"We watch it _every _year. The kid wants a Red Rider BB Gun and -"

"Sara, please!" Desiree begged, pouting.

Sara rolled her eyes, "That stopped working when you turned six." she said, still flipping through channels.

Morgan smiled, shaking his head. He pulled Reid closer to him and Reid glanced up at him, meeting his eyes for a long moment before sighing and resting against Morgan's chest comfortably.

Sara watched them for a second and grinned, "Aw!" she said, her eyes twinkling when she turned to her boyfriend, "I think they're showing us up," she teased.

T.J. smiled and wrapped and arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest and shaking his head, "Can't have that, can we?" he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek.

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Sara, this isn't a competition."

"Did I say that it was?" she said, raising a brow at her brother.

"Sara! Pick something to watch or I'm taking the remote!" Desiree threatened, frowning at her siblings.

Sara sighed, "Fine," she muttered, still flipping through channels. "Oh! Charlie Brown's Christmas Special!" she grinned.

"No." Fran, Desiree and Morgan said at the same time. Reid and T.J. looked confused and Sara pouted, "Whatever," she muttered.

Finally, she settled on _Home Alone_ and put the remote on the coffee table, ignoring the annoyed mutter from Desiree, who still wanted to watch _A Christmas Story._

**~/.\~**

Reid yawned and scooted away from Morgan about halfway through the movie, "Bathroom," he whispered, disentangling their interlocked limbs and heading up the stairs. He locked the door to the bathroom behind himself and stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long moment before quickly using the restroom and washing his hands.

He almost hit someone with the door on his way out. "Sorry!" he apologized quickly, looking surprised when he saw T.J. standing there.

"No problem," T.J. said, "Sara just asked me to get something from her bedroom…"

"I thought she was staying with you?" Reid asked.

"She is," T.J. explained, "But she left a lot of her things here before she moved into her own apartment and she still hasn't gotten all of her stuff moved into my place."

"Oh." Reid nodded and started to walk down the hall.

"Hey, Spencer -" T.J. called, frowning slightly.

Reid turned back around, "Yeah?" he asked, looking confused.

"You said you and Derek have been dating a couple of months, right?" he asked, curiously.

"Yeah," Reid nodded. "But we've known each other for years."

T.J. nodded absently, "I was wondering… um… Sara and I've been dating almost six months now… and I know I don't know her family very well… but I love her… and… I'm thinking about asking her to marry me." he confided.

Reid looked surprised, more so because T.J., who was almost a total stranger, would share something like that with him.

"And… Derek… I'm going to talk to Mrs. Morgan, of course, but… I want to talk to Derek too… I just don't want him to not approve, you know?"

Reid nodded, "Well… I think he likes you, despite the way he can act sometimes. He's not nearly as mean as he seems to be."

T.J. nodded slowly, "Well… he seems like a good guy, but… he carries a gun to work…"

Reid smiled slightly, "So do I," he pointed out. "And I'm not even a little bit intimidating."

T.J. thought about that, "Maybe…" he said slowly. "I just… really want him to not hate me. Sara seems to be very close to her family and I want them to want me to be a part of it."

Reid nodded, "I know what you mean… but I'm sure Derek will be fine with it… as long as you and Sara are happy."

T.J. nodded, "Thanks, Spencer… Oh, and just so you know, I think the Morgans have already accepted you as part of the family." he smiled at the other man and ducked into a bedroom down the hall.

Reid blinked in surprise and then smiled slightly, shaking his head and heading back downstairs.

**~/.\~**

"So, how did you like them? They're not always so annoying," Morgan asked as he pulled his shirt up over his head, getting ready for bed.

Reid watched him, still fully dressed, sitting on the edge of Morgan's old bed. "They were a lot more accepting than I thought," he said finally.

Morgan grinned, "See, what'd I tell you?" he said, "I was right, just like always."

Reid smiled, shaking his head slowly, "Not always," he corrected.

"Oh? Trust me, Pretty Boy, if your thinking I forgot about that promise I made on the plane, I didn't. You're not getting any sleep tonight."

Reid blinked and blushed, "Derek, we're in your mother's house."

Morgan shrugged, sitting down on the bed next to him, "So? The door is closed and I worked hard not to touch you too much around Sara and Desi… now we're alone, Pretty Boy. And I'm keeping my promise." He slid an arm around Reid's neck and pulled his face to him, pressing a long, lingering kiss to the younger man's lips.

Reid closed his eyes and unconsciously leaned into the kiss, pulling Morgan closer to him. Morgan grinned and pushed him back onto the bed, his fingers undoing the buttons on Reid's shirt. "Derek," Reid gasped, tearing his face away from Morgan's. "We really shouldn't… your mom is right down the hall!"

Morgan ignored him, taking Reid's shirt completely off and tossing it to the floor, "Spencer, we've had sex in a hotel while working on a case…" he reminded him, tugging at his pants.

Reid grabbed his wrist, "That was different…" he said.

"I don't see how," Morgan said, shaking Reid's light grip off and pulling his pants off, tossing them down next to his shirt. "Now be quiet and let me work…"

Reid blushed and took Morgan's face in his hands, pulling him back up to his face, "I love you," he said, smiling and kissing the older man. Morgan grinned, his hand sliding underneath the elastic of Reid's boxers and between his thighs. Reid gasped and his hands tightened their hold on his face. Morgan took the opportunity to slide his tongue into Reid's mouth and the younger man moaned, pulling away.

"I told you, Spencer… you're not getting any sleep tonight." Morgan promised, pulling his boxers the rest of the way down and pressing kisses lightly down his neck, chest and stomach. "I'm keeping you up all night long."

* * *

**E/N: And now we're back to the lovely sexual innuendos, lol :3 … or… maybe it's more than an innuendo when he's actually doing it… hmm…**

**Hmm… not sure what I think about this chapter…**

**Don't forget to review!**


	7. Fifteen Cups a Day is A Lot of Coffee

**A/N: :3 AW! Thanks so much for the splendiferous reviews! You guys are superbly awesome! And thanks to everyone who added this to favorites and alert! I heart you guys! I'm super sorry that I haven't updated! My mom shut my internet OFF! I'm seriously going into shock! Until I either get my internet back (I finally got access to the 1 computer that doesn't block FF) or get Dial Up (ugh) my updates will not be as regular as usual. :( Sorry guys! But don't worry! I'm still writing! I swear! I NEVER abandon a story! Ever!**

**YAY! Chapter 7! Guess what! Like I told you when I was writing "Across the Sky in Stars" I'm already planning the sequel to this… It's gonna be a little bit angsty and… well… if you read it, you'll see. But this story isn't over yet, don't worry!**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 7: Fifteen Cups a Day Is A Lot Of Coffee

Morgan yawned and blinked slowly, waking up the next morning still tired and slightly stiff. He glanced down at Reid, who's arms were wrapped around his chest, hugging the older man to him, his head resting on his shoulder. He looked so adorable he wished he had a camera… Not wanting to wake him up, Morgan gently disentangled himself from Reid and stood, groping around in his bag for clothes and pulling last night's boxers on, heading across the hall to the shower.

He could hear voices chattering downstairs and knew his mother at least was already awake. He could smell food cooking in the kitchen and sighed, resolving right then that he was cooking dinner for them that night. Christmas was in two days and he refused to allow his mother to continue cooking while he was visiting.

Making sure to lock the door behind him, he sat his clothes on the sink and slipped his boxers back off, starting the shower and waiting a few minutes for the water to warm.

**~/.\~**

Reid blinked himself awake that morning and frowned when he realized he was lying in an empty bed. Morgan had a bad habit of leaving before he woke up if he didn't want to wake him himself. Reid sighed and decided to yell at him later, instead digging around his bag and getting dressed. He would take a shower later; besides he could hear the shower across the hall and figured that was where Morgan was.

He bit his lip and glanced down the stairs, hearing voices… He wasn't sure he wanted to be alone with all of Morgan's family - plus T.J. - just yet. A door opened down the hall and he turned, hoping it was Morgan, but it was Desiree, walking out of her old bedroom, her hair slightly tangled, her eyes tired. Clearly, she had just woken up.

She gave him a weary smile, still wearing her pink pajama bottoms and a long sleeved pink nightshirt. She banged on the bathroom door, "Derek! Other people need to use the bathroom!"

Morgan's reply was lost to the sound of the shower and she rolled her eyes, "Does he do this when you two are at home?" she asked. Then she paused, "Do you live together?" she asked curiously.

Reid blinked, "Oh… uh… no, not really."

"Not really?" She asked, frowning.

"Well… I'm at his apartment a lot," Reid shrugged.

"Ah…" Desiree nodded. "Well, don't just stand there, breakfast is cooking and you look like you could use some food."

Reid blushed and hesitated. Desiree sighed, shaking her head and taking his arm, dragging him downstairs with her. "We aren't gonna bite, Spencer, I promise." she assured him, leading him into the kitchen where Fran was standing beside the stove and Sara and T.J. were sitting next to each other at the table, playing with each other's fingers, leaning close and laughing at something.

Desiree made a face, "Ew…" she muttered, grinning widely at the sour look her sister shot her.

"Good morning, Spencer," Fran smiled at him before Sara and Desiree could start arguing. "Did you sleep well?"

Before he could answer, Desiree chimed in, "I don't think he slept at all…" she said. "Didn't you hear those noises last night? Or was that from _your _room?" she asked, raising a brow at her sister.

Sara, Spencer and T.J. all looked away from Desiree's gleaming eyes and she grinned, "Oh, so it was _both _of your rooms." she laughed.

"Shut up, Desi. You're just jealous."

Desiree rolled her eyes, "Momma, can you believe her?" she shook her head. "Unmarried and having… and doing _that_ in your house?"

Fran frowned, turning around again, "Desi are you telling me you're a virgin? Because I'm quite certain you told me when you were seventeen that you weren't…"

Desiree blinked, "Momma!" she gasped, staring at the woman.

Fran just smiled, "Hey, I lived with you three for most of your lives… I'm not an idiot, sweetheart."

Desiree shook her head, "Mother's shouldn't talk like that."

"I think Spencer is terrified of us," Sara remarked, smiling slightly at Reid, who was still standing awkwardly in the door way.

"No… I'm just… not used to… watching families interact." he said slowly, although he had to admit that it was strangely similar to the way the team acted with each other.

"What do you mean?" Desiree asked, pulling a chair out and motioning for him to sit down. Reid stared at the seat for a moment before he sat down and looked at his hands for a moment, "I guess Derek didn't tell you about my mom…"

"What about your mom? I thought you said last night that your dad left when you were ten?"

"He did…" Reid said slowly. He glanced up at the varying degrees of pity and sympathy on their faces and sighed heavily. One way or another, they would have to find out about his mom and he would rather it be sooner instead of later… he just hoped it didn't change their opinions on him… "But my mom… she wasn't… well." he explained.

"Was she sick?" Fran asked, concerned.

Reid cleared his throat, "In a way… but not physically… mentally. She… she's a paranoid schizophrenic." he said. "I… took care of her after my dad left and…" he chewed his lip. "Even then she still… she wasn't taking care of herself properly and I could always be there for her and … so, when I was eighteen I had her placed in a sanitarium to make sure she was being taken care of…"

They stared at him for a long moment and Reid kept his head down, eyes on his hands. He just knew that they would hate him now… now that they knew all of that.

Sara was the first one to speak, "So… your dad left you with a schizophrenic mother when you were just ten?" she asked incredulously.

Reid looked up, nodding slowly. "Yeah…"

Fran walked over and surprised him, wrapping the young man in a tight, warm hug that reminded him of his own mother - when she was lucid and took her medication like she was supposed to. "I had no idea…" she said quietly. "That's horrible."

Desiree squeezed his arm gently, "Well… I guess we're not the most conventional family for you to watch 'interacting' but… it's better than nothing…" she smiled reassuringly. "I'm glad Derek decided to bring you."

Fran nodded, turning back to the eggs she'd been cooking, "I am too… you're too skinny. You need to eat."

Reid blushed, shaking his head. "I eat," he protested.

Sara stood, eyeing him up and down, "What could you possibly eat?" she asked, pouring a cup of coffee from the pot. "Wafers?" she shook her head. "Want any coffee?" she offered him before she sat down.

Reid nodded slowly, about to respond when Morgan walked in, "He's addicted to it," he grinned, "Give him about two cups on sugar."

Reid glared at him, "I do not drink that much coffee…"

"Fifteen cups a day is a lot of coffee."

Reid frowned, "That was one time, Derek!" he argued.

Sara laughed and sat the coffee in front of Reid, who took it thankfully and was about to take a sip when Morgan caught his shoulder and turned him around in the chair, kissing him briefly before going to fix his own coffee. Reid blushed and Sara, Desiree and T.J. stared in open-mouthed shock at the man.

Sara reacted first, grinning and shaking her head at her brother, "You'll do anything to get a reaction, won't you?" she asked.

Morgan took a seat next to Reid and smiled, "No, I'll do anything to have an excuse to kiss Spencer,"

Reid blushed again and stared down at his coffee cup, pressing his lips together to try and suppress the smile forming on his lips.

* * *

**E/N: Ah, sweet fluff… it tastes like cotton candy… :3**

**Not a lot of Morgan in this chapter… wasn't intentional, but I eventually figured that it was better for Reid to be alone when he told the Morgans about his mom… It was like a … trusting exercise.**

**Don't forget to review!**


	8. I Never Really Understood That

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of the reviews! I'm so glad you guys didn't give up on this story! I hate not updating and I promise, like I always have, just because I don't update every day like usual, doesn't mean I'm not writing! I am. I will continue to write, I promise! I hate making you guys wait, but sometimes I can't do anything about it and I apologize! I'm just glad you guys stuck with me!**

**Just remember, when I start posting a story it means I have either already written it completely or I WILL finish it. I never post a story unless I'm absolutely certain that it will be completed!**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I promise, I will update ASAP! I really do hate making you guys wait!**

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Ch. 8: I Never Really Understood That

Sara, Fran and Desiree left the men alone at the house, going shopping to buy food for Christmas dinner… Morgan had protested, saying he was a much better cook than Desi and Sara, but Fran insisted that he get to know T.J. better anyway. Reluctantly, Morgan relented and they found themselves sitting in the living room, the TV on, awkwardly silent. No one was watching the show that was playing, Morgan kept shifting in his seat and T.J. stared at his hands nervously.

It was Reid who finally broke the tension, "Derek…" he said slowly. "Your mom is right. You and T.J. should get to know each other better…"

Morgan sighed and looked up to see T.J. looking at Reid, confused and even more nervous than before. Reid had overheard T.J. talking to Fran earlier that morning about asking Sara to marry him. But he hadn't said a word to Morgan yet.

"He might be here a while," Reid added slowly, meeting the other man's eyes and smiling slightly.

Morgan looked confused, T.J. looked nervous and nodded slowly. "…Derek…" he said slowly, licking his lips and turning to face Sara's brother, worry and indecision on his face.

Morgan raised a brow, realizing Reid knew something he didn't. "Yeah?" he asked, frowning slightly.

T.J. took a deep breath, "Sara and I have been together for about six months… and she's been living with me for three." he said slowly. "I … well… I want to ask her to marry me."

Morgan's eyes widened and for a second, he stopped breathing. Then he blinked several times… "And… what, you want my permission?" he asked skeptically, still trying to process the fact that this man he barely knew wanted to marry his sister.

T.J. swallowed hard and shook his head, "Not exactly your permission… just your … blessing, I guess. I know you just met me, but I do love Sara and I want to be with her. I can support her financially… I would do anything for her."

Morgan studied the man's face, "Would you die for her?" he asked.

"Absolutely." he said without hesitation.

Morgan frowned, "How can you be sure?"

"Because the thought of her dying terrifies me. Because I can't picture the world without her in it. Because I hate to see her hurt, even if it's just a paper cut…" T.J. said, his eyes sincere.

Morgan nodded, "You love her…" he said slowly. "And… I think that's usually enough." he smiled. "I… guess that means welcome to the family."

T.J. grinned, and sighed. "Thank you." he said.

Morgan smiled, "How did you meet Sara anyway?" he asked curiously.

"She ran over a cat on her way to work one morning… She took it to my office and we met there." T.J. explained.

Morgan nodded, "She always loved animals." he said.

"What about you and Spencer? If you've worked together for so long… why did you only get together two months ago?"

Morgan smiled slightly, glancing at Reid who chewed his lip and looked down. "I doubt either one of us even thought about each other like that until two months ago." Morgan said slowly. "Before that, we were just … really close friends."

"Do friends usually annoy each other to the point of insanity?" Reid asked, raising an eyebrow.

Morgan laughed, "You're not that annoying, Spencer."

Reid frowned, "I was talking about you." he muttered.

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Are you saying I'm annoying? Dr. Reid, I'm shocked! How could you make such a bold judgment?"

"Shut up," Reid muttered, but he smiled and Morgan's grin broadened.

T.J. stared at them, shaking his head. "What changed?" he asked slowly.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you were just friends before… what changed?"

Morgan thought about it… "We got back from a bad case… I was shot, nothing serious, just a graze. Reid had a bad dream that night where I died and he showed up at my house to make sure I was ok. I let him and in and he started explaining his dream… and then I kissed him."

T.J. blinked, "You kissed him? Just… out of nowhere?"

"Yes." Reid answered, "Scared me to death."

Morgan rolled his eyes, "You kissed me back before you ran away." he pointed out.

Reid blushed and shrugged.

T.J. looked surprised, "I guess kissing a friend would change the whole relationship…"

"Especially your best friend," Morgan added, smiling at Reid. "Before that… I never even thought about men. I don't honestly know why I kissed him that night. I just did it…"

T.J. smiled, "Andrew, my brother, said the same thing. He realized he was gay when he and his friend, Greg, were talking and he just had the strangest urge to kiss him. But Andy didn't… Greg's married…" he explained, shrugging. "Andrew's dating… some guy named Bryan right now. I haven't seen him in a couple of months, he moved to New York last year."

"Are you two close?" Reid asked curiously.

T.J. nodded slowly, "Pretty close, yeah. But after he came out to us… well, Michelle, my sister… didn't take it well and my dad went ballistic, practically disowned him… Me and my mom were the only ones who were ok with it, really. Michelle calmed down after a couple of months, though. Once she got over the shock she apologized for how she reacted. Dad still hasn't… accepted it."

Reid looked confused… "If the rest of your family accepted it… why hasn't your dad? He's still his son."

T.J. thought a moment before answering, "His oldest son is gay." he said slowly. "Andrew's always been a lot like Dad. He played baseball in high school, almost made it to the Pros… He liked sports and fast cars and pretty girls…" he paused. "Growing up, I was the one my dad worried about. I didn't date much, a side-effect of being a nerd." he smiled. "I was shorter than the other boys, hated sports and spent most of my time in the library reading. I liked science and biology and helping animals. I cried when our dog died…" He shrugged, "I was more emotional than Andrew was… I liked cooking and helping my mom clean…"

"So, Andrew is your father…" Reid mused, "And finding out that he was gay was like a… blow to his own ego."

T.J. nodded. "You could say that… I just… hope he gets over it eventually. Ever since he told us he was gay he hasn't been back home because Dad seems to be convinced this is a phase he's going through and told him he wasn't welcome there until he snapped out of it… Mom, Michelle and me go visit him instead, but Dad refuses to go."

Morgan shook his head, "That's … horrible." he said, searching for the right word. He didn't what he would've done if his mom or Sara or Desi had reacted like that to him and Reid. He suddenly realized how lucky he was to have such an accepting family.

T.J. sighed, "Dad's stubborn… so is Andrew. And Andrew isn't going through some phase, so either Dad is going to have to learn to accept it… or he'll probably never speak to Andrew again."

Reid sighed, "I never really understood that."

"_You _didn't understand something?" Morgan asked, surprised.

"I never understood how a parent could refuse to accept their child for who they are… a child is a combination of two separate partners… which means that half of that child is one parent, the other half, the other. Technically speaking, if a parent doesn't accept their child as they are… they hate half of themselves. It makes no sense to look at something that you helped to create and not be able to accept them for who they are."

Morgan smiled sadly, "But some parents are like that," he said. "It's sad, but it's true."

Reid shook his head, "It shouldn't be that way." he said.

* * *

**E/N: Well… that was deeper than I intended to go into the whole "parents should love their kids no matter what" area… actually, I didn't even intend to go into that at all… but I'm considering possibly introducing Andrew later in another fic… and I wanted you guys to have some background… Plus, T.J. wouldn't shut up and Reid was curious…**

**Don't forget to review!**


	9. I'm Never That Tired

A/N: :3 AW! Thanks for all of the spectacular reviews, guys! Y'all are so sweet! I heart you! And of course, thanks to everyone who added this to their favorites and alert!

**Once again, I must apologize for not being able to update everyday as I usually do. I hate not being able to update like I usually do… But no internet means no internet. And NEXT week I'm worried I might not be able to update much bc I have to write my speech for Rotary (I'm so not looking forward to giving a speech… public speaking = epic fail) and I've got a project for my Economics class Yay -_-**

**But despite the busy-ness, I'm still writing! I'm procrastinating on homework atm actually :3**

**Enough about me… let's get back to the story XD**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! As long as people stay interested, I'll continue to find a way to update!**

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Ch. 9: I'm Never That Tired

Morgan jumped from the couch the second Fran, Sara and Desiree returned from their shopping trip and snatched the bags away, carrying them into the kitchen and putting them away. "Momma, you and Des and Sara can cook Christmas Dinner if you want… but tonight, you go and relax." he insisted when Fran tried to help him. "_I'm _cooking dinner tonight."

Fran sighed heavily, "Alright, Derek, alright." she relented, smiling slightly, "Just don't set anything on fire again…"

Morgan groaned, "I was thirteen, Momma, let it go."

Her eyes twinkled and she laughed, shaking her head. "T.J. likes to cook, you know…"

Morgan frowned, "And?"

"And maybe you two should work together." Fran said. "I know you don't know him very well, Derek, but T.J. is a sweet young man and -"

"Fine, I'll ask him." Morgan sighed, "Now you get out of the kitchen. This is your time to take a break."

T.J. gratefully accepted Morgan's offer to let him help with dinner, though Morgan seemed a little reluctant, he had gotten to know more about T.J. over the course of the afternoon and liked the man well enough. He would have to call Garcia to make sure he didn't have any sort of record or anything questionable in his past, but for the most part, T.J. seemed like a grounded, genuinely friendly type of guy. He couldn't ask for much better in a brother-in-law.

Sara whined when Morgan refused to let her help and sat huffily down on the loveseat next to her mother. Desiree rolled her eyes and said something about Sara acting like a whiny teenager, causing Sara to stare daggers at her for about five minutes. Reid sat on the couch, his legs drawn up underneath him, awkwardly listening to the conversation.

Fran smiled, shaking her head at her daughters and turned to the young man, "So, Spencer… I haven't gotten much chance to talk to you without Derek being around… He is treating you well, right?"

Reid smiled, "Of course he is," he assured her.

She nodded, "Good… I know he can be annoying sometimes, be he's a good man. A lot like his father," her eyes got misty for a moment as she thought back. "How old are you, Spencer?" she suddenly asked, looking at him curiously.

"Um, I'm thirty." he said swallowing, slightly nervous.

"Really?" Desiree asked, "You seem so much younger. Maybe… twenty five?"

Reid smiled, "I get that a lot…" he admitted. "The team teases me about it, because I'm the youngest."

Fran smiled, "Derek talks about your team like it's his second family…" she said.

Sara snorted, "Please, the team is his _first _family. We're second." she said.

"He talks about you all the time," Spencer insisted, shaking his head. "But we're always so busy… I don't think any of us have taken a personal day in months, not even Hotch."

"Hotch… he was the dark haired guy who looked angry, right?" Desiree asked. "You and… Prentiss were the ones who came to house that day and then we met … Agent Gideon and… JJ and Hotch after they arrested Buford." she scowled when she said the name, her eyes getting dark.

Reid nodded, "Right." he said, "Hotch… I don't know if Morgan told you or not about the last few months for him but… he really needed this vacation."

Fran nodded, looking sad, "He told us about what happened to his ex-wife." she said, sighing heavily.

Sara bit her lip and changed the subject, "So… we've met everyone on your team then, right?"

"No…" Reid shook his head, "You haven't met Rossi or Garcia. Rossi… Rossi took over for Gideon when he … _retired_. Garcia doesn't usually go with us on cases, she's our technical analyst."

Desiree smiled, "Derek talks about her a _lot._ Sara was convinced he was secretly dating her at one point."

Reid smiled, "They do flirt a lot… but it's definitely platonic." he explained. "Garcia will flirt with anyone, even me… and sometimes Hotch. Though I haven't seen her flirt with Rossi yet…"

Sara laughed, "She sounds… colorful from how Derek describes her."

Reid shook his head, "You have no idea…"

"Wasn't she the one that called Derek yesterday and said something about having a dream and you were pregnant?" Sara asked, raising a brow. Desiree and Fran had to fight back laughs, especially after Reid blushed and looked down, biting his lip.

"Yeah, that was Garcia."

"So… she knows about you and Derek then?" Desiree asked.

"Garcia and Prentiss both know." Reid replied, nodding. "Prentiss… she, uh… walked into our hotel room a couple of nights after we first got together and Derek was being… Derek."

Sara grinned, "You two weren't like… having sex, were you?"

"NO!" Reid almost squeaked, blushing a bright shade of crimson. "N-Nothing like that… he 'fell' on top of me and she walked in…"

"What about Garcia?" Fran asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Garcia… well, we had a day off and she showed up at Derek's because he promised to take her to see a movie… _Iron Man 2, _the next time we had time off. I was… uh… there. He told her it was because my car was broken down and he had been driving me to work… but… Garcia is very… observant. It's not easy to hide anything from her and she noticed that… I… um… had… a … hickey. She thought it was because I had a girlfriend and kept asking all these questions and finally Derek just told her it was him." Reid voice started to rise in pitch and pick up speed as he neared the end of his explanation and he stumbled over his words slightly, making the women smile.

"So, why haven't you told the rest of your team then?" Sara asked.

"We're not…" He cleared his throat, "We're not ready for them to know just yet, honestly. Um… it's not really… agents aren't supposed to, uh… 'fraternize' with one another."

"Ah," Fran nodded, smiling slightly. "And you don't want to get into any sort of trouble."

Reid nodded, "I'm pretty sure Hotch wouldn't be… angry, but… well… we've only been together for two months and we want to be very sure that this is going to work out before we tell anyone."

"I think it'll work," Desiree said sincerely. "You and Derek are hardly ever apart, seriously. And the way you look at each other…" she shook her head.

"Derek doesn't look at anyone like that," Sara agreed, nodding. "He's head over hills for you…"

Reid pressed his lips together, trying to suppress a smile. "I love him…" he agreed. "But… I just don't know why he loves me."

Fran laughed, "There's the answer, Spencer. You're probably one of the sweetest people I've ever met, honestly. And you should hear how Derek talks about you when you're not around. He's fascinated by you. Even years ago, when you two first met… he'd talk about you with such astonishment and reverence…"

"He's very protective of you too," Desiree said. "He was constantly talking about how much trouble you get into and how he hated seeing you get hurt."

Fran smiled, nodding, "I always thought you were like a little brother to him."

Reid couldn't hold back the smile then, to realize that Morgan cared so much about him - as unfathomable as it still seemed to him - made him incredibly happy.

**~/.\~**

"So, Pretty Boy," Morgan asked, taking his seat next to him on the couch like they had the night before after dinner. "How'd you like dinner?"

Reid leaned into Morgan's chest, letting the older man wrap and arm around his waist and smiled, "It's was great," he said tiredly. "Just like always."

Morgan grinned, pulling Reid closer to him, kissing the top of his head. "What'd I tell you, Sara? I'm a better cook than you are."

She rolled her eyes from the loveseat across from them where she and T.J. were similarly positioned, "My boyfriend helped you," she muttered, leaning her head back to rest on T.J.'s shoulder.

T.J. smiled, "Well… Derek did most of the work."

Sara frowned, "Whose side are you on?" she asked, twisting around to look at him. He smiled at her and brushed his lips against hers gently, "Yours of course," he said. "But… your brother scares me a little."

Morgan grinned, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh, T.J., don't worry about Derek," Desiree said, "He's all talk."

Morgan snorted, kicking her lightly in the shin, "Excuse me?" he asked, raising a brow at his sister, "Who asked you?"

She gave him an indignant look, "I don't need permission to speak."

"Behave," Fran warned, "Or I'll ground all three of you."

"Three of us?" Sara asked, frowning.

"Spencer and T.J. aren't doing anything wrong…" Fran explained, "Maybe I'll just ground you three and we'll go out on Christmas and eat dinner at that Chinese restaurant down the street."

T.J. laughed and Reid smiled, shaking their heads. The three Morgan children frowned at their mother, looking insulted.

"Momma, you wouldn't ground your baby boy on Christmas!" Morgan said, making a face at her.

"Watch me," she said, grinning. "You keep misbehaving and you won't get to have any fun for Christmas."

"Then you should move him and Spencer to separate rooms," Sara said. "Otherwise it's pointless."

Fran eyed her for a moment, "Maybe I'll separate you and T.J. instead," she threatened.

Sara pouted, "But Momma!" she whined, her eyes sparkling. "That's not fair!"

"I'm the mother, I decide what's fair. Now all of you shut up and watch the TV."

**~/.\~**

Reid yawned as Morgan shut the bedroom door behind them that night. "It's been a long day," Morgan said, shaking his head slowly.

Reid smiled at him, "Maybe you shouldn't have offered to cook dinner then."

He made a face at his lover, "You don't want Sara and Desi cooking dinner," he said. "They're nowhere near as good as I am."

"Conceded much?" Reid teased, unbuttoning his shirt and sitting down on the bed, yawning again as he glanced down at his watch. "It's after eleven already…"

Morgan smiled, watching him for a moment, "Conceded? Me? Where would you get an idea like that?"

Reid rolled his eyes, slipping his shirt off and digging through his bag for his nightshirt - a new one since Morgan had thrown out the last one he'd had while they were on that case in New Hampshire a couple of months ago.

He was stopped when Morgan grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, kissing him roughly. Reid moaned but pushed the man away, "Derek, I'm tired." he protested. "I want to sleep…"

Morgan grinned wide, "So… sleep with me." he said, pushing the thin young man back on the bed, pinning his wrists above his head with one hand and kissing him again, letting his other hand wander down to the waistband of Reid's pants.

"Derek!" Reid tugged uselessly at his wrists, trying to free himself. "Please!"

Morgan sighed, but didn't let go of his hands. "What?" he asked. "I know you want to…"

Reid sighed, "I'm tired." he said again, trying to ignore the hand that slid over the front of his pants teasingly.

Morgan pressed his lips together, "Please." he asked, staring down at the younger man.

"Are you seriously begging me to have sex with you?" Reid demanded. "You just said you were tired too."

"Not that tired," Morgan corrected him. "I'm never that tired."

Reid sighed, "Derek," he stared up at the man and knew it was pretty much pointless to argue. Morgan was right anyway… he _did _want to. But he was so tired he wasn't sure he'd be able to. "Fine," he relented, smiling at the grin on Morgan's face as he leaned down and kissed him again, sliding his tongue into his mouth slowly.

Reid closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the kiss… in the warmth of Morgan's body… the taste of his mouth… and moaned low in his throat, almost whining in disappointment when the man pulled away. "Have I told you that I love you?" he teased, brushing his lips gently over Reid's again.

Reid grinned, lifting his head and pressing his own lips firmly against Morgan's mouth, "Not nearly enough." he said, smiling up at him.

* * *

**E/N: Ok… that last part? I added it just for you guys. I was gonna end it with the argument in the living room… then I glanced at the word count and I was like "I can make 2000 words for this one" And the best part is, that I actually wrote even more!**

**So… I gave you guys a litte bit longer chapter and little fluffy-ness just 'cause I love ya!**

**Don't forget to review!**

**PS- Bad news guys... my internet time just got even more limited :( The proxy I usually use to read stuff and reply to reviews & messages... it got blocked this morning and none of the other proxies work cuz they were already blocked! I'm seriously considering killing whoever decieded that FF had "prohibited game content" on it *cough cough* I know who did it... and he's a jerk anyways... the world would be better off w/o him... GRRR...**

**Ok... so review please! Make me smilez people and I'll update ASAP!**


	10. Momma, Not the Baby Pictures Again!

**A/N: Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! I heart you guys so much! I seriously hate not being able to update as much as usual… It's killing me.**

**And I've got some bad news guys! Next Monday… I'm out of school! Normally, that would be a good thing, but considering that the only computer I can update on is a school computer… it's not. Monday through Friday I'm out of school for Thanksgiving. . I'm gonna lose my mind! I don't know how much longer I can take not having internet at home!**

***pouts* I could live w/o my cell phone AND TV if I could just have internet! I'd even give up any of the hundreds of books I own … except my Percy Jackson books, my Harry Potter books and my Peter and the Starcatchers books…**

***deep breaths* Ok… breakdown barely averted… back to the story…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! I'm telling you, I still read every single review and they mean the world to me! Please don't give up on me!**

* * *

Ch. 10: Momma, Not the Baby Pictures Again!

Reid yawned and rolled over, shuffling into the warmth of Morgan's chest, sighing in content. Morgan grinned and pulled him closer, his eyes smiling down at Reid as he slowly blinked himself awake and looked up at the older man. "Happy Eve of Christmas Eve," Morgan grinned, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

"You could just say, December 23rd." Reid murmured, closing his eyes again and scooting closer to Morgan.

Morgan laughed, "Where's the fun in that?" he asked, resting his chin gently on Reid's head and closing his own eyes. "Are you still tired?" he asked, stifling a yawn of his own.

Reid grumbled something and sighed, "We were still awake at three a.m. … yes, I'm tired." he muttered. "Just like I told you last night when it was almost midnight and you just wouldn't take no for an answer."

Morgan chuckled, "You enjoyed it, don't start arguing, Pretty Boy."

"Did I say I didn't?" Reid asked, lifting his head just slightly to glance up at Morgan, raising a brow. "I said I was tired." He let his head fall back on Morgan's chest, closing his eyes again.

"You should be…" Morgan teased, "All of that moaning you were doing."

"Shut up," Reid muttered, smiling. "You're a lot louder than I am."

"I don't think so, Pretty Boy." Morgan shook his head, "You're pretty loud…"

Reid rolled his eyes, "Whatever." he muttered, yawning again. "Can we just go back to sleep?"

"Depends…" Morgan slid his arms down around Reid's waist, "Do I get to keep holding you here?"

Reid smiled, "Of course," he said, "What would be the point of us going back to sleep if we weren't in each other's arms?"

Morgan grinned, "A valid point," he said, shutting his eyes. "Let's just never wake up."

"Deal," Reid murmured, slowly starting to drift back to sleep.

Then a loud knock on the bedroom door sent them both bolting upright in the bed. "What is it?" Morgan grumbled, glaring at the door like it was to blame.

"Are you two finished with whatever you were doing last night or I do need to hose you off?" Desiree's voice floated through the wood.

Reid blushed and looked down; Morgan frowned, "Shut up, Desi. Just because you can't get a boyfriend -"

"Oh please," Desiree snorted, "Derek, I've had plenty more boyfriends than you have."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Morgan asked, frowning.

Desi scowled on the other side of the door, "If I didn't think you two were naked in there, I'd open this door right now and kick your ass, Derek."

"You think you can take me?"

"I know I can." she snorted, "So get dressed and please, _please _don't come out of there with that 'I just had sex' look on your face. I almost threw up looking at Sara and T.J. this morning."

Her footsteps disappeared down the hall and Morgan sighed, "I guess we should get dressed, Pretty Boy."

Reid frowned, "But it's warm here." he muttered, pouting.

Morgan laughed and threw him some clean clothes from his bag, "Just get dressed, Spencer." he grinned, "I'll help you warm up."

Reid blushed again and hurriedly got dressed, watching Morgan do the same. As they were walking down the stairs to the kitchen, Morgan took his hand and pulled him closer, pressing his lips to his in a scorching kiss. He held him there for almost a full minute and them smiled breathlessly at him, "See, you're all warm now."

Reid smiled and pressed himself closer to Morgan, kissing him gently, "I supposed warm is one way to describe it…"

Morgan laughed, rolling his eyes. Desiree was walking up the stairs again and spotted them, "Ugh, didn't I say not to have that look on your face?" she muttered, making a theatrical gagging noise.

Morgan frowned at her and then leaned forward and kissed Reid again, winding his arms tighter around the young man's waist. Desiree stared at them, mouth hanging open, and shook her head, "If you weren't my brother… I'd almost say that was hot." she said, grinning at the look of shock on Morgan's face and the blush on Reid's.

"C'mon, Spencer… let's go talk to some normal people." Morgan said, taking Reid's hand and leading him down the stairs.

Desiree snorted, "Normal? This family? Please…"

**~/.\~**

"Spencer!" Fran called from the living room as he and Morgan were finishing their late breakfast - and Reid's third cup of coffee. "Come in here, I want to show you something!"

Reid frowned, curious and nervous, and glanced at Morgan who shrugged, "Go on, Pretty Boy, see what it is."

Reid chewed his lip and stood from the table, leaving Morgan alone to finish the few scraps on their plates and slowly walked into the den where Fran was sitting on the couch, holding a large book open on her lap. She smiled and patted the seat beside her when he walked in, "Come here, Spencer, I want to show you this." she said, nodding toward the book.

Reluctantly, Reid sat down, glancing curiously at the open book. He smiled, realizing it was a photo album and a picture of what could only be a screaming, naked, baby Derek, sitting in a tub full of water. "This was Derek's first bath," Fran said, tapping the photo with a finger, grinning.

Reid laughed, shaking his head, "He doesn't… look very enthusiastic," he said, smiling.

"Oh, he hated baths." Fran said, "Pitched a fit every single time. Desiree was the same way…" she said, eyeing her youngest daughter with a grin. Desiree frowned, "What about Sara?" she muttered, "She's the one who made all the messes; at least I kept myself clean."

Sara, who was lying down with her knees underneath her on the loveseat, her head in T.J.'s lap, lifted her head slightly and made a face at her sister, "_I _made messes? No, Derek made messes. He was the messiest child ever." she rolled her eyes.

Fran smiled, shaking her head, "None of you were neat children; you all took after your father, leaving stuff everywhere, forgetting to put your clothes in the hamper…"

Reid smiled, glancing at the other pictures on the page, "What's this?" he asked, pointing to a picture of a child bundled up head to foot in a snowsuit, grinning. Most of their face was obscured by a thick, woolen hat that fell over their eyes.

Fran laughed, "That's Derek; he was about four then, I think, playing outside in the snow with his father." She pointed to another picture, "They were making snowmen, see?" The photo was of a lopsided, disproportionate snowman with a wooden spoon for a nose and rocks for eyes.

Reid smiled, "I've never made a snowman before," he commented.

"Really?" Sara looked surprised.

"It doesn't really snow much in Vegas…" Reid pointed out, shrugging.

"That's right, you're from Vegas." Desiree said, remembering. "What's it like there; I've never been."

Reid shrugged, "It's… busy. And bright, but the suburbs aren't that bad, away from the hotels and the casinos and all the tourists. There's all whole other side of Las Vegas that most people don't see unless they live there."

"So… your mom is still in Vegas?" Sara asked curiously.

"Uh… yeah, she's in Bennington Sanitarium." Reid answered slowly, frowning.

"What about your father? Or do you know?" Desiree asked, frowning.

"My dad…" Reid almost winced, frowning deeply. "He's still there; he apparently never really left, he worked in Summerland, just ten minutes away from me and my mom for years." he shrugged, some dark shadow passing over his eyes but he hid it well and smiled a moment later.

Fran sighed, staring at him sadly for a moment and then abruptly changing the subject, "This was when Derek lost his first tooth," she said, pointing out a photograph of a grinning Derek missing his right front tooth.

Reid laughed, the bright-eyed delight in Morgan's eyes almost comical in the picture. "He was so excited to get his first visit from the tooth fairy," Fran said, smiling nostalgically.

Reid glanced up at her, "I never believed in the tooth fairy," he said, frowning again. "My mother used to tell me it was a government conspiracy and my dad said it was just a stupid story made up for annoying children," He bit his lip, "Did you know that the myth of the tooth fairy originates in -"

"Spencer, you're not giving them another lecture are you?" Morgan asked, walking into the living room and leaning on the back of the couch, kissing Reid lightly on the cheek. He glanced down at the book his mother was holding and groaned, "Momma, not the baby pictures again!"

She grinned brightly, "Well of course I brought out the baby pictures, Derek." she said, "This is the first time in… years, as far as I can remember, that you've been in a serious relationship with anybody; I had to show off the pictures."

"Show off… embarrass me," Morgan muttered, rolling his eyes, "Same difference."

"I think they're cute," Reid said, smiling up at Morgan, "Especially this one…" he pointed to the one of him in the bathtub. "I bet Garcia would love to have a copy of that one."

"Don't even think about it, Pretty Boy." Morgan warned, "I promise you, you'll regret it."

Reid rolled his eyes, "I wouldn't… but you probably would." he said, smiling.

Morgan narrowed his eyes and ruffled Reid's hair, "Whatever you say, kid."

Reid sighed, "When are you going to stop calling me kid?"

"When you age fifteen years and look your damn age," Morgan teased, "There's no way you're actually thirty."

"Quit teasing him, Derek," Fran warned, "Or I'll make you sit at the children's table for Christmas Dinner."

* * *

**E/N: Anyone else hate the Children's Table? Ah well, I haven't been at the kid's table in years, I'm good…**

**So, who's looking forward to Thanksgiving! Not me… no internet + annoying family drama = me being committed to a mental institution. HELP!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	11. I'm Not Drunk

**A/N: Another huge thanks to everyone who reviewed! I heart you guys so much! And I'm so glad you guys are sticking with me!**

***growls* do you guys realize how freaking close I came to updating two days in a row FINALLY? I JUST found my flash drive and my mom was like "we're leaving"! UGH! And yesterday… let's just say I officially hate my mother…**

***deep breaths* I will survive. Maybe…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Pwetty Pwease!**

* * *

Ch. 11: I'm Not Drunk

Dinner that night seemed to be even more hectic than it had the previous night, due mostly to the fact that Morgan and Desiree both decided to have a couple of drinks and, with the Morgans, drinking equals more arguing.

The siblings bickered half-drunkenly back and forth for most of the meal, with interventions from Fran and Sara occasionally. But it didn't seem to have much effect on either of them, instead turning them both on Sara for a few moments, resulting in her angrily threatening to slap both of them.

Reid and T.J. sat in silence most of the meal, trying to avoid getting drawn into the argument. That didn't spare them from being argued about, however, when Desiree decided to voice how annoying Public Displays of Affection were, prompting another pointless remark from Morgan which turned into a new tangent of their earlier argument, which was just as pointless.

Reid quickly volunteered to help Fran with the dishes when, after dinner, Morgan and Desi took their bickering into the den and Sara and T.J. followed to act as self-appointed referees to make sure no blood was shed.

Fran smiled kindly at him as he stood next to her by the sink, "I'll wash, you dry." She said, turning the facet on and letting the water get warm while she grabbed a dish rag from under the sink.

He nodded, "Alright," he said, smiling back at her kindly.

Moments later, after Fran had gotten the water soapy and was beginning to wash the dishes, there was an uproar from the living room and Sara's voice called in, "It's alright! Desi tripped!"

"Derek tripped me!" Desiree screamed louder, sounding angry and slightly drunk.

"Did not!" Morgan snorted, "You're just drunk…"

Fran sighed, a tiny smile on her face and shook her head, "I hope he doesn't act like that when you two are at home…" she paused, "You aren't living together yet, are you?"

Reid shook his head, his eyes focused on the bowl Fran had just finished washing, "No… I, uh, do stay over a lot, though."

She smiled, "He seems happier… Not that he wasn't happy before, of course. It's just… he seems to… act more like the Derek I thought I'd lost when his father died." she sounded sad for a moment.

"Derek was ten, wasn't he?" Reid asked. He didn't really have to ask, he already knew he was right, but he felt it was better to prompt the older woman into talking instead of flat out asking how badly Derek had been effected.

She nodded, "Yes… He was with him when it happened." she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm amazed he managed to move on at all, honestly. It was so difficult at first, and then he started getting into trouble."

She frowned after a moment, "And then he started going to the youth center and we met Carl and everything seemed to get better…" she stopped washing the plate in her hands, her eyes not seeing the soapy water before her. "I wish I'd known…" she almost whispered. "What kind of mother doesn't notice when her child is suffering so much?" she turned and stared at Reid, locking eyes with the young man. Reid saw a lifetime of guilt behind eyes that were so much like Morgan's it was uncanny.

He swallowed for a second, wishing he had Morgan's people skills right then, to assure her that it was not her fault. He shook his head slowly, "Derek hid it well," he said quietly. "And it's not your fault, Mrs - Fran." he said. "It doesn't make you a bad mother because you didn't notice. Carl was good at fooling people… most … most child molesters are. They have to be good at tricking people, b-because that's how it starts with the kids they abuse too. You couldn't have foreseen it or prevented it."

"But if I had known, I could've stopped it," she argued, her hand absently going back to wash the plate in her hands.

"Unless Derek or Carl themselves told you, there wasn't much of a way for you to know, either." Reid pointed out. "You can't blame yourself for what Derek went through… Blame Carl Buford; he's the one who did it. He's the monster here, not you."

Fran smiled, a sad, grateful smile, "I suppose you're right… but mothers always blame themselves when their children are hurt. I guess it's in our nature."

He laughed, "My mom says things like that all the time." he said, smiling. "She says mothers are animals… they know things other people just don't and they can sense things."

Fran nodded, "She's right…" she paused, "You must really love her, Spencer."

He blinked, glancing over at her for a moment, "I do…" he said. "She's… the only real family I've got. The team is great and I - I love Derek, b-but my mom… she was everything to me, even when she couldn't be what a real mom is supposed to be."

Fran smiled, "That's sweet…" she trailed off for a few moments, scrubbing more dishes, then she frowned. "Spencer… you were ten when your father left, right?"

He nodded slowly, "I was," he said, trying to hide the pain that suddenly flashed through his eyes.

"Did he ever… tell you why?" Fran asked curiously. She couldn't imagine a man just walking out of his family's life like that. To leave behind a child and a sick mother…

Reid licked his lips, "N-Not when he left, no. He… left me a letter, explaining that he had to go and telling me goodbye, but it wasn't much of an explanation. A few years ago I did see him again and got a … better answer."

"What did he say?" Fran asked, frowning.

"My mom… was a witness to a murder. A little boy in my neighborhood was murdered when I was four and his father killed the man who killed him and my mom was there…" he bit his lip, frowning. "According to my dad, after that, things went downhill and he didn't know how to do it any more."

"Do what?" Fran's brows creased together.

"To raise me… to take care of my mom. To do what he was supposed to do as a father and husband…" He took a shaky breath, "And he just packed his bags and left. He ran away…"

"He was a coward." Fran said, scowling. "Any real father would've stayed. Would've tried harder to help their wife and take care of their son."

Reid swallowed, averting his eyes again, "Coward… isn't a word I'd use to describe my father." he said. "Stupid, maybe…"

Fran smiled, "He was a stupid coward," she said. "Only a coward runs away from his responsibilities like that. He ran because he got scared, didn't know what to do and was too stubborn to ask for help."

Reid smiled, nodding slowly. "True…"

"For what it's worth, you're certainly welcome in our family, Spencer." she said, smiling, watching him from the corner of her eye as she washed the last cup.

He blushed and tried not to smile as he dried the plate in his hands. "Thanks," he said quietly, feeling warmth flooding through him. She smiled and nodded, laughing lightly when Morgan walked in and wrapped an arm around the slender man's waist, pulling him away from the sink and into a kiss.

Reid sighed and pushed the older man back, "Derek, how much did you have to drink?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Just one drink," Morgan assured him, grinning as he tightened his hold on Reid and leaned forward for another kiss. Reid slammed a hand against his face and tried to wriggle out of the hold.

"Just one? I think it was four," Reid said, raising a brow.

Morgan shrugged, "One, four… same difference."

Reid frowned at him, "Derek," he muttered, shaking his head. "Let go."

Morgan grinned, shaking his head and letting his hands slid down Reid's back to his butt, tightening his fingers.

Reid jumped and slapped Morgan in the shoulder, "Derek!" He snapped, "Let go of me, now."

"Why?" Morgan asked, leaning closer again. "I thought you were my boyfriend…"

"I am -"

"Then why can't I hold you?"

"Because your drunk."

"Am not." Morgan insisted. "I'm sober. I only had a few drinks and I can walk straight, my words aren't slurred and -"

"And apparently your thinking has been greatly impaired." Reid muttered, shoving himself away from Morgan's arms while the man was distracted.

Fran watched the two of them, smiling. "Derek, behave," she warned. "I think we're gonna have to cut you and Desiree off tomorrow at one drink. If that."

Morgan frowned, "Momma, I'm a grown man -"

"And I'm your mother, Derek Morgan," Fran said, her eyebrows raising slightly. "What I say goes."

"Yes ma'am." Derek muttered, taking Spencer by the arm and leading him up the stairs. "C'mon, Spencer…" he yawned, blinking. "Maybe we should get some sleep."

Reid rolled his eyes as they entered the bedroom, "Oh, _now _you wanna sleep?" he muttered. "But last night at midnight, oh no… you wanted sex."

Morgan frowned, "I want sex now too, Spencer." he said. "But I think you're in a bad mood… Not that I'll argue if you say yes…"

Reid pressed his lips together, already changing into his nightclothes. "Go to sleep, Derek." he muttered. "I'm not doing anything with you while you're drunk, even if it's only slightly."

Morgan groaned, frowning as Reid slid under the covers and turned on his side. He stripped down to his boxers quickly and climbed under the blanket beside his lover, "I'm not drunk," he muttered, pulling Reid into his chest and resting his chin on Reid's head. "I'm just a little buzzed."

* * *

**E/N: Yeah, Morgan's just "buzzed" Reid, don't be such a prude, lol XD**

**Uh… Did my dislike of William Reid come out in that conversation? Heh… funny thing… yeah… William Reid's a stupid coward and an insult to real father's everywhere! Grr…**

**the conversation w/Reid and Fran got way more serious than I thought it would, but I think it turned out alright… What do you guys think?**

***IMPORTANT INFORMATION* Alright, those of you who have read the other stuff I've written know that I write a chapter a day unless nature/life somehow intervenes. I'm still doing that, but I'm working on two stories at once and decided that while I'm w/o internet, I wouldn't write both chapters in one day, I'd write them separately… **

**HOWEVER, you guys are amazingly patient and kind and understanding and I'm not gonna be able to update AT ALL next week, SO, I'm gonna post the next chapter in about 30 minutes to an hour!**

**But I'd still like to hear from you guys what you thought about this chapter before I post chapter 12! Reviews or not, I'm still gnna post, but I'd really appreciate comments from you guys on this chapter too! I'm worried about it…**

**Thanks so much for being so patient w/me guys! Your reviews and comments mean a lot to me!**

**HAPPY EARLY THANKSGIVING GUYS! HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY! EAT LOTS OF GOOD FOOD! XD**

**Don't forget to review!**

**PS- Sorry for the long E/N, I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on!**


	12. Believe it, Pretty Boy

**A/N: :3 See that? Two chapters in one day! I did it just for you guys, 'cause you're awesome! Thanks so much for your reviews and patience and understanding!**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 12: Believe It, Pretty Boy

Morgan woke up the next morning with stiff muscles and groaned, clenching his eyes shut. He silently was thankfully that his mom hadn't let him drink more than what he had, otherwise he knew he would've woken up to a killer hangover, and that was not the best way to spend his first Christmas Eve with his boyfriend.

Thinking about Reid, Morgan rolled over and pulled the thin man, still clutched in his arms, closer to his chest, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. Reid murmured something and twitched, but didn't wake up.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Morgan whispered, shaking him gently. "It's Christmas Eve."

Reid slowly cracked his eyes open, yawning. "Christmas Eve?" He muttered, rolling over so that he was facing Morgan, "Why can't it be Christmas already?"

Morgan chuckled, "Already so eager to get your present, Pretty Boy?"

Reid frowned, "Derek, I don't want a present." he said, shaking his head. "I just always wanted to get Christmas over with."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Morgan asked, confused.

"Christmas wasn't exactly all happiness and joy, I suppose," Reid replied. "My mom always loved it, but she seemed to have her worst episodes then. I mean, I know that, statistically, her episodes didn't grow in severity simply because it was Christmas, but I just always -"

"Spencer," Morgan interrupted him. "I understand… sort of. Trust me, you'll love Christmas this year. Unless my dysfunctional family scares you away."

Reid smiled, shaking his head at the older man, "Derek, my mother was a paranoid schizophrenic, my father abandoned me and I was a child prodigy in Las Vegas and graduated high school when I was twelve. Your family is a lot more 'functional' than mine was."

Morgan smiled, "Maybe… but you don't have insane, hormonal sisters either."

"True," Reid nodded, yawning again, which in turn caused Morgan to yawn.

"We should probably get dressed and head downstairs before Sara or Des comes up here banging on the door."

Reid nodded, "Yeah, we probably should…" he agreed.

Neither of the moved from where they were, arms wrapped around each other, staring into each other's eyes. Morgan leaned forward and brushed his lips against Reid's, about to pull back when Reid's arms tightened around his waist and he returned the kiss with more force, parting his lips and tilting his head slightly.

Morgan moaned, his tongue sliding into Reid's mouth as he rolled over and repositioned them so that he was on top of the younger man, bracing himself with hands at either side of Reid's face as he deepened the kiss and slid a knee up between Reid's thighs.

"Derek," Reid breathed when Morgan pulled away. "We should get downstairs…"

Morgan grinned, one of his hands sliding down to Reid's waist, fingers slipping past the elastic band of his pajama pants and boxers, "Should we?" he teased.

Reid gasped when Morgan slid his hand further down, between his legs.

He fought to make himself nod, but it was half hearted at best. He wasn't interested in much going on in the kitchen at the moment…

"It's still early…" Morgan informed him, grinning when Reid's eyes traveled to the digital clock, his breathing hitching when Morgan's hand started moving slowly, teasingly up and down. The young man bit his lip and let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"I … suppose we could…"

Morgan grinned, lowering his mouth back to Reid's, "I know we can, Pretty Boy…" he whispered.

**~/.\~**

About an hour later, Morgan and Reid lay tangled together, naked and panting slightly. Morgan pressed a kiss to Reid's brow and smiled, "I think we should do that more often…"

Reid rolled his eyes, "Have sex in your mother's house while everyone is awake and downstairs?"

Morgan chuckled, "No… have sex in the morning."

"We have to wake up at eight and be at work by nine, Derek!"

"So? That's an hour… if we wake up thirty minutes earlier, we could still have time to shower, get dressed, grab a quick breakfast and get to work…"

Reid shook his head, smiling slightly, "You've got this figured out?"

"Absolutely," Morgan grinned, "We've got to be prepared after all."

He laughed, "You're always prepared for sex, Derek."

"Who isn't?" Morgan asked, raising a brow.

"Derek! Spencer!" Sara's voice floated up the stairs as they heard her approaching, "It's almost nine thirty! You two need to get up!"

Morgan sighed, "And cue the interruptions…"

"Derek, you don't get to see them that often, you know." Reid pointed out, sitting up slowly and grabbing his bag.

"I know, I know…" Morgan muttered. "But they're so annoying."

Reid laughed, "So are you," he pointed out.

Morgan grinned, "Yeah, but I do it in a way that isn't so obnoxious."

"They only seem that way because they're your family. They're not that bad, you know."

Morgan frowned, "Whose side are you on?"

**~/.\~**

Desiree and Morgan seemed to forget about their half-drunken argument the night before, after dinner that night. They all sat comfortably around a burning fire, the TV on low, watching as the clock ticked away. The Morgan children were waiting for it to be ten o'clock. Fran sat in the worn out arm chair, shaking her head slightly at the look in Derek, Desi and Sara's eyes. It was amazing that they could still have the anticipation of a child in them after all these years.

Reid was already getting tired, despite the five cups of coffee he'd had to drink that day, and was leaning against Morgan, his head resting on his shoulder when it was finally ten. Almost in perfect unison, the three Morgan children turned to Fran and asked, "Can we get the decorations now?"

Fran smiled, "They're in the hall closet upstairs," she said, shaking her head in amusement as the siblings half ran up the stairs, trying to race each other like they had a children.

"What are they doing?" Reid asked.

"Getting the decorations and ornaments for the tree," Fran explained, nodding toward the large tree in the corner of the room. "Every Christmas Eve at ten we'd get the boxes out and start decorating." She smiled, her eyes getting misty like they had several times since they'd arrived. "We kept doing it even after they left home… It's just one of our traditions."

T.J. smiled, "We would decorate our tree on Christmas Eve too… and then at midnight, Dad would put the star on top of it and send us to bed so Santa could come and bring us out presents."

Reid frowned, "We never really did that…" he chewed his lips, "My dad used to buy the artificial trees and he'd decorate it himself every year. After he left we didn't even have a Christmas tree…"

Fran shook her head, "Your father leaving really took a lot away from you, Spencer… a family, a childhood… even Christmas trees…" she looked angry. Reid got the feeling if she ever met his father she'd let him know exactly how she felt about him and he couldn't help but feel warmth swell up in his chest at the thought…

Morgan and his sisters tromped down the stairs, each carrying a beaten, overused, duct-taped shut cardboard box labeled "Christmas Tree Decorations" in permanent marker. "Are we gonna start decorating?" Sara asked, sitting her box down along with Morgan and Desiree.

"Of course," Fran said, standing. She waved T.J. and Reid over, "Come on you two, you can help," she smiled.

T.J. jumped up, immediately moving to Sara's side. Reid was a bit more wary, standing slowly and Morgan smiled, grabbing his wrist and pulling him closer. He knelt and tore the duct tape off of the boxes, pulling back the flaps and revealing a chaotic grouping of handmade and store-bought Christmas ornaments.

Sara's box was much the same and Desiree's box contained the fuzzy garland and lights. "Just hang them anywhere," Fran said, smiling kindly at Reid as he felt a bright red glass ornament nervously in his hands. He nodded and followed Desiree's example, hanging the object near the middle of the three while Fran and Sara strung the lights and T.J. helped them with the garland.

With the six of them working together, it took less than an hour to create an imperfect, beautiful Christmas tree. All that was missing was the star. Fran had disappeared a few moments earlier to get it and was just coming down the stairs when they put the last of the ornaments on the tree.

She smiled, opening the rather old box and pulling out an antique, stained glass star. "Derek, would you do the honors this year?" she asked, holding it out to her son.

He took it carefully in his hands and nodded, slipping the star onto the tip of the tree. Then they all burst out in cheers, clapping as Sara leaned down and plugged it all in. "Beautiful," Fran breathed, smiling brightly. "I think this is our best one yet…"

Morgan smiled, wrapping an arm around Reid and another around his mom as they all stood there, staring at their handiwork, "I couldn't agree more…" he whispered, lightly kissing the top of Reid's head.

**~/.\~**

As they climbed into bed that night, Morgan smiled, "So, Spencer… did you enjoy decorating your first tree?"

He blinked, looking up at the older man and then nodded, "It was more fun than I expected, actually. I wish…" he trailed off, sighing.

"What?"

"… I wish I'd gotten to do those things when I was a kid." Reid replied, sounding sad.

Morgan sighed heavily, pressing his lips to Reid's forehead, "Well, at least you can do them now." he said. "With me."

Reid smiled, "With you." he repeated, grinning.

"Better get some sleep tonight…" Morgan cautioned. "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Reid smiled, a tiny spark of childlike euphoria in his eyes. "Christmas." he said, sounding excited.

Morgan grinned, "Not just any Christmas either… our first Christmas as a couple…"

Reid blushed slightly and buried his face in the warmth of Morgan's chest, "I can't believe it sometimes…" he whispered.

Morgan wrapped an arm around him, laughing lightly, "Believe it, Pretty Boy. 'Cause trust me, you're not ever gonna want this Christmas to end."

* * *

**E/N: :3 AW! YAY for fluffy-ness! Writing this story always makes me smile!**

***THANKS* LAURA! Yes, thanks AGAIN for be so absotively understanding and encouraging and supportive! I think I might've been in the loony bin by now if it weren't for you :3 Thanks!**

**And once again, thanks so much to EVERYONE who reviewed! You guys don't know much you mean to me! Seriously, You guys are truly amazing. I'm super grateful to y'all for being so patient and understanding with me! I wish I could give you my usual daily updates and I really appreciate those of you who are putting in the effort to review! I read every one of them and they always make me smile! If I had more time I'd reply to all individually! I know I'm not getting all of you and I'm sorry! I'm trying! Just know that I appreciate you all for your reviews! I'm thrilled you guys like the story and I hope this chapter lived up to those standards!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	13. Come Downstairs and Find Out

**A/N: Super amazing, gigantic, sparkly thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited and added this to story alert! You guys are amazing! Thanks so much, once again, for being so patient with me while I'm suffering from lack of internet!**

**:3 Hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! I'm so not looking forward to going back to school… (my mom had some work to do at the school today so I managed to get on the computer for a few minutes…. YAY)**

**You know what sucks? Typing with a hurt finger… it's difficult, I tell ya…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 13: Come Downstairs and Find Out

Morgan woke up early the next morning, glancing at the clock and reading 7:24 a.m. Spencer was still sleeping, nestled into his arms, his head resting in the crook of his neck. Carefully, Morgan disentangled himself from the younger man and slid into a pair of pants and a long sleeved t-shirt, exiting the room as quietly as possible.

He ran into Sara on the stairs, who held a finger to her lips and smiled slightly. The two of them crept down the stairs, not speaking until they were in the living room. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked, raising a brow at her brother.

Morgan grinned and knelt on the couch, reaching a hand down between the wall and the back of the seat, searching around until he pulled out a present wrapped in green paper, "I hid Spencer's present here while he was in the bathroom," he explained. "I didn't want him to see it."

Sara rolled her eyes, "I thought he said he didn't want a present."

"He's my boyfriend, Sara. This is our first Christmas together; I don't care what he says, he's getting a present."

"Do you think he got you something?" she asked.

"I don't know." Morgan shrugged, "He probably did… but he might not have. I don't need a gift anyway." Then he frowned, slipping the present under the tree, noticing that their mother had put her own gifts for them under there as well. "What are you doing up?"

"Same thing you are," Sara said, smiling as she pulled out a box she'd hidden behind the arm chair. "T.J. insisted that I not get him anything… so I, of course, had to buy something."

Morgan snorted, "What, a jacket?" he asked, raising an eye brow, staring at the box.

She frowned at her brother, "No, I got him silk tie and a tie pin with a cat on it… He loves cats." she smiled, rolling her eyes. "And he saw it in the store and said he liked it."

Morgan nodded, "And if it wasn't for that cat you tried to kill, you two would never have met."

She glared at him, "I didn't try to kill it! It was an accident and - He told you about that?"

"I asked how you two met," Morgan shrugged.

"Oh… So, what'd you get Spencer?" she asked, sitting down on the couch, folding her legs underneath herself.

Morgan smiled, sitting down across from her, "It's a surprise." he said.

She frowned and glanced back at the gift, "Hmm… he said he likes to read, right? Is it a book? You wouldn't buy him jewelry…" she trailed off, thinking. "I doubt it's clothes… a DVD? A laptop? … Uh…" She smiled, shaking her head.

"Your boyfriend is hard to figure out, you know that?" she asked.

Morgan smiled, "Yeah, I know." He grinned. "But that's one of the things I love about him."

"You'd better," Sara said, smiling. "He's a sweet guy and I'd hate for you to hurt him."

Morgan groaned, "I'm not gonna hurt him. Jeesh, you'd think Spencer was your brother the way everyone keeps threatening _me_."

Sara smiled, shrugging, "What can I say, Derek? He grows on people…"

He smiled, sighing. "Well, at least you all like him."

"I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't…" she trailed off again. "So… What do you think he got you for Christmas?"

"I'm not psychic, Sara, how am I supposed to know? I don't even know if he actually got me anything." Morgan replied, frowning.

She sighed, "You could guess, genius." She rolled her eyes. "I wonder what T.J. got me…"

Morgan's eyes sparkled slightly, but he kept his mouth shut. He was certain T.J. was going to propose to Sara sometime today… He was surprised at how excited he was for his sister, but he knew he shouldn't be so surprised. He'd always been overly protective of his sisters, but he could tell Sara was happy and T.J. was a nice guy… He was sure they'd be happy together.

She frowned, "What?" she asked, confused by the strange look on her brother's face.

"Nothing…" Morgan shrugged, "I'm gonna go make some coffee. Want some?"

Sara eyed him suspiciously and nodded, "Sure. I'll help…"

**~/.\~**

Fran found Sara and Derek downstairs in the kitchen when she woke up that morning, "What are two doing up so early?" she asked, "Trying to sneak peaks at the presents before everyone else is down?"

"Momma, we're not ten years old anymore," Sara rolled her eyes.

Fran smiled, "Could've fooled me…"

"Momma!" Morgan frowned, "I'm far more mature than that."

"Sometimes…" Fran conceded, nodding.

"We were just putting our presents for Spencer and T.J. under the tree," Sara explained, taking a sip from her cup of coffee.

"Ah, I see. I wish I'd gotten something for them separately… But I did get something for you both as couples…" Fran said, smiling.

"Ooh, what?" Sara asked, her eyes sparkling.

"Well, you've got to wait and see." Fran said. "We're not opening any presents until everyone is downstairs."

Sara frowned and then took a deep breath, looking like she was preparing to scream. Fran shook her head and put a hand lightly over her daughter's mouth, "Sara," she chided, eyeing her in mock disappointment. "I thought you said you weren't ten anymore."

Sara sighed, "Alright, fine…" she muttered, taking another sip from her mug. Morgan laughed, shaking his head and sitting his cup on the table, "I'm gonna go get Spencer up…" he said. "He probably won't be too happy if he wakes up again and I'm not there."

He hurried up the stairs and slipped back into the small bedroom, smiling when he saw Reid still sleeping soundly on the bed. He walked over and sat down, studying his peaceful face for a long moment before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the younger man's forehead.

Reid mumbled something and slowly cracked his eyes open, smiling when he saw Morgan sitting there, "Merry Christmas," Morgan whispered, bending down and pressing another kiss to Reid's lips.

Reid grinned , wrapping his hands around Morgan's neck and pulling him closer, "Merry Christmas…" he replied, his large brown eyes lighting with anticipation.

"C'mon… Get dressed. We've got to get down stairs before Sara kills someone." Morgan said, sitting up and tossing clothes to the young agent.

Reid raised a brow in confusion and started getting dressed, "Kills someone?" he asked skeptically.

"She wants to open presents, but we can't until everyone's ready." Morgan explained. "So let's go."

"Presents?" Reid asked, yawning slightly as he shrugged out of his nightshirt.

"Yes, presents, Pretty Boy. People do usually give gifts this time of year."

"I know that," Reid said, rolling his eyes. "But there weren't any gifts under the tree last night."

"Mom still sneaks down there in the middle of the night to put them under the tree. Sara and Desi do it sometimes too."

"What about you?" Reid asked, sliding his pants on.

"What about me?" Morgan asked, looking confused.

"Do you sneak down there at night?"

Morgan shrugged, grinning. "Come downstairs and find out, Pretty Boy…" he said, pulling him off the bed.

"Give me a minute," Reid protested. "I've got to get my socks on."

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Really? Are you serious, Spencer?"

"Yes." Reid replied, "It's freezing and my feet are cold."

Morgan sighed, "Fine. Hurry up then, I'll wait down stairs." He leaned down and kissed him again before hurrying out the door. Reid grinned, shaking his head and digging around in his satchel, pulling out a small box that was wrapped in green paper and slid it into his pocket.

He slid his mismatched socks onto his feet and hurried down the stairs after his boyfriend, excited for Christmas for the first time in years…

* * *

**E/N: You know, it's a little weird writing about Christmas when Thanksgiving just ended… Still, it's fun :3 **

**Hmm… wonder what Morgan got Reid… and what Reid got Morgan… XD Guess you'll find out next chapter!**

**Thanks so much for your patience guys! I'm glad you're still interested! (hoping that's still true after a week of no updates!)**

**Don't forget to review!**


	14. What Else Do You Buy a Nerd For Chrismas

**A/N: :3 Super ginormous thanks to all of the fabulous reviewers and readers! You guys are amazing!**

**Ah, the beauty of Novocain… lol. I just got back from dentist so excuse me if I'm a little bit loopy… XD**

**Now… I wonder what the boys got each other? Hmm… should be interesting to find out…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

* * *

Ch. 14: What Else Do You Buy a Nerd For Christmas?

"Is it time for presents yet?" Sara asked the second Reid entered the kitchen, a few moments behind Morgan.

Fran sighed, shaking her head. "Sara, T.J. and Desiree are still upstairs. We've got to wait for them,"

Sara huffed, "Fine. I'm going to get T.J. up." she said, standing and heading toward the stairs.

"Leave your sister alone!" Fran called after her. "Let her sleep if she wants, it's not that late!"

Sara groaned loudly, "Alright, alright!" she called back down as she hurried to her bed. "I'll let her sleep."

Fran smiled, shaking her head. "It's like you never even left home," she said, turning to Morgan. "You three act just like kindergartners."

"_I _don't!" Morgan protested.

"Yes, you do." Fran said, handing Reid a cup of coffee. "I swear, Spencer and T.J. are the most mature ones here."

Morgan frowned, "Are you gonna let her put me down like that?" he asked, nudging Reid in the arm.

Reid shrugged, taking a drink from his coffee cup, "She's your mother." he said. "She can say what she wants about you."

Morgan frowned, "Talking like that you just might not get your Christmas present."

Reid rolled his eyes, "I already told you I didn't want anything, so I'd be fine without a gift."

Morgan tapped his fingers against the table top, "You are incredibly aggravating, you know that?"

"_I'm _aggravating?" Reid blinked, sitting his cup down on the table. "Look who's talking!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Morgan asked. "I'm not aggravating!"

"Boys," Fran warned. "Am I gonna have to put you in time out."

Reid pressed his lips together and fought back a grin as Morgan childishly stuck his tongue out at him, earning a playful slap from his mother. "Behave, Derek." she warned. "And be nice to Spencer, he's just being honest."

Morgan frowned and theatrically tossed his hands in the air, "What is this? Why are you all turning on me all of a sudden?"

"Now you know how I feel when you and the team decided to make fun of me." Reid said, taking another drink of coffee.

"Aw, Derek, it's only 'cause we love you." Sara said, walking in with T.J. and sitting back down at the table.

"Define love." Morgan muttered.

Reid opened his mouth, clearly about to give them all a long, scientific definition of exactly what love was.

"Not you." Morgan interjected before he could even get started. Reid closed his mouth and frowned, pressing his lips together and folding his arms across his chest. "I thought you said you _liked _it when I rambled off statistics."

"Spencer," Morgan sighed, chuckling. He leaned over and wrapped an arm around Reid's waist, "I _do _like it. But sometimes … I just don't wanna know, you know?"

Reid frowned at him and Morgan sighed, leaning over and kissing him gently on the cheek, "C'mon, Pretty Boy, don't be mad at me on Christmas!"

Pursing his lips, Reid finally relaxed in Morgan's arms and sighed, "Fine. I'll be mad tomorrow."

Morgan chuckled, "Fair enough…" he grinned.

Sara watched them and shook her head, "That was both the weirdest and the cutest argument I've ever seen in my entire life." she said.

"What was so weird about it?" Fran asked, raising a brow. "All couples have little arguments like that."

Morgan glanced at Reid, "Ever get the feeling you're on some reality TV show?" he murmured, pulling Reid up from the chair and leading him into the living room while Sara and Fran continued discussing them and their relationship.

**~/.\~**

Desiree stumbled down the stairs twenty minutes later and grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen. "Is it time for presents now?" Sara demanded, her arm latched onto T.J.'s. "Please mom!"

"Alright, fine. Let's go into the living room." Fran said, waving them all out of the kitchen. Sara and T.J. were the first to get to the living room. They all eagerly made their way to the tree but Fran stopped then.

"Ah, No!" she called from behind them. "I'm handing out gifts this year! Sit!"

Groaning, the three Morgan children sat down, Sara taking T.J. with her, Morgan taking Reid. "Now… let's see, Sara, T.J., this is for you from me." she handed them a small box, which Sara quickly ripped the paper off of. Inside were two plane tickets… "Mom, what's this?"

"Tickets to Hawaii." Fran said, grinning.

"Mom, you shouldn't have, really!" Sara said, shaking her head.

"Well, I wanted to." Fran assured her. She handed Morgan a box, "And Derek, this is for you and Spencer. I got it before I knew who you were bringing home, of course."

Inside the box was a silver picture frame etched with the words "Together Forever" at the bottom and next to it were two tickets to Las Vegas for that weekend. Morgan laughed, "Thanks, Mom." He glanced at Reid, "Guess this means we're gonna tell your mom, huh?"

Reid smiled, nodding. "Thank you," he said, smiling at Fran gratefully.

She grinned, "It was my pleasure, Spencer." she said sincerely, handing Desiree a box, "Desi, this is from me." she said. Desiree had gotten a charm bracelet with a little heart pendant dangling from it.

As Fran continued passing around gifts, Desiree got a pair of earrings from Sara and a necklace from Morgan. Sara got a similar necklace from Morgan and several CDs from Desi. Morgan got a small portable TV from Sara and a pair of boxing gloves from Desiree, which he threw at her when she mentioned that he was out of shape.

Morgan, Desiree and Sara bought Fran a matching diamond ring, bracelet and necklace set. And then Fran handed T.J. Sara's gift, the tie and pin, which he thanked her for with a kiss. "Spencer, this is from Derek," Fran said, handing him a gift wrapped in green paper.

He took it and frowned at Morgan, "I told you I didn't want anything," he said, shaking his head as Morgan encouraged him to open the present. He tore the paper off and peered down at what he'd gotten him. He gasped and lifted it up. "Derek!" he stared at him, smiling.

"What else do you buy a nerd for Christmas?" Morgan teased as Reid stared down at the Collector's Edition of The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Reid frowned at him, "I'm not a nerd!" he protested, but quickly turned back to the DVDs and kissed Morgan.

"Derek…" Fran smiled, "This is from Spencer." she handed him the small box that Reid had set under the tree quickly before entering the kitchen that morning.

Morgan looked surprised and took the gift, watching as Reid sheepishly stared at him. He tore the paper off and inside found a leather box. Opening it, he saw a shimmering silver watch. The edges and underside had been engraved. The words 'I love you' had been written in elaborate cursive on the underbelly and their initials had been carved along the side of the dial.

"Spencer … it's… wow…" Morgan blinked, surprised by the gift before slowly putting it on and wrapping his arms around the younger man, kissing him.

"You really like it?" Reid asked quickly.

"Of course I do!" Morgan assured him, grinning.

Fran cleared her throat a bit and held a black velvet box in her hands, handing it to T.J. "T.J…" she said nodding toward Sara.

T.J. bit his lip and nodded, slowly starting to stand.

Sara frowned, "T.J., what -"

He slid down to the floor, kneeling in front of her and she almost gasped, a hand flying to her mouth as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Sara… You know I love you. I'd do anything for you. I'd leave everything I've ever known behind if I could be with you." he took a deep, somewhat shaky breath. "Will you marry me?"

* * *

**E/N: GASP! I wonder what she'll say? LOL, like you guys can't guess XD**

**Alright, Laura, you're officially psychic. Seriously, I'm starting to get freaked out. How is it that you can guess so well…? Maybe Reid's just predictable… or… am I that predictable?**

**Alright guys, this story is about to wrap up… just a few more chapters I think. Then there WILL be a sequel, the title of which my muse and my split personalities can't agree on.**

**I'm gonna take this one all the way to Diana finding out… then I'll end it and start the sequel… Hope you guys are still enjoying the story! I'm sorry I can't give you my usual daily updates!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	15. I Had A Feeling You'd Say That

**A/N: :3 Thanks once again for all of your reviews, guys! I'm glad y'all still like the story!**

…**Hmm, I suppose I left you guys a bit too soon last chapter… ah well XD I'll fix that this chapter!**

**Sorry for taking so long to update! My mom doesn't approve of my happiness, I'm afraid. I tried to update again, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday… but she refused to let me. If I had been allowed to this story would've been finished by now… ah well…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **

* * *

Ch. 15: I Had a Feeling You'd Say That

Sara had tears glittering in her eyes. She choked slightly and nodded, her head bobbing quickly. "Yes!" she said, grinning widely. "Yes!" she leaned down and kissed T.J. "Yes, yes, yes!" she kept saying "Yes", tears of joy spilling over as he slipped the ring on her left hand, grinning brightly.

She threw her arms around him, "I love you," she whispered. "I… God, how long have you been planning this?" she asked.

"A couple of months," T.J. said, shrugging. "I thought Christmas was a good time to… to finally ask."

She grinned, looking up at her mother, "Did you know?" she asked.

"Of course I did. Derek did too…"

Sara frowned, "You jerk! You knew and didn't tell me!" she glared at him across the coffee table.

"Who am I to ruin the surprise?" Morgan asked, grinning broadly.

"How come I didn't know?" Desiree frowned.

"Sorry, Des. You're not important enough." Morgan teased.

Sara rolled her eyes, holding her hand out in front of her and admiring the ring, "It's beautiful," she said, her eyes growing starry. She turned to T.J. and kissed him again, "It's perfect." she whispered. "I love you…"

Fran beamed at her daughter and future son-in-law. "Congratulations you two," she said. "I'm sure you'll be happy together."

"Absolutely," Sara grinned, "Especially while we're in Hawaii."

Fran laughed, "I figured you'd like that…" she turned to Morgan for a moment, "So… Derek, can I assume you and Spencer will be getting married soon?"

Morgan choked, "Wh-What?" he asked, his eyes wide. "Momma, we're only been together two months!"

"Well what if Spencer got pregnant?" Sara teased. "Your friend Garcia seemed to think it was possible."

Morgan threw a pillow at her and Reid blushed, looking down. "Stop trying to terrify my boyfriend."

Fran grinned, "I think a spring wedding would be wonderful for them, don't you?"

Morgan narrowed his eyes, "Momma!"

"Oh, Derek, we're just having fun," she waved her hand in the air, smiling. "You're leaving this afternoon and I probably won't see you again for months."

He sighed, "That's a terrible excuse…" he muttered.

**~/.\~**

"I think I'm actually gonna miss my annoying family…" Morgan commented as he and Reid packed their bags upstairs.

"They're your family, Derek. Of course you're gonna miss them." Reid said. "It's only natural."

He grinned, "Looking forward to seeing your mom tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"Yes… No… I don't know…" Reid sounded nervous, chewing on his lip for a moment and shaking his head. "How am I supposed to tell her that I've got a boyfriend?"

"Just like that. Say 'Mom, I've got a boyfriend'. C'mon, Spencer, you said yourself that she would probably be thrilled."

"I know, I know… But I'm still nervous. I mean, I haven't seen her in months… haven't talked to her for a few weeks… and I'm just gonna spring this on her the day after Christmas…"

"My mom took it well…"

Reid smiled, "She did… but it's not really how she'll take it that I'm worried about. It's whether or not I can actually say it… and if she's lucid or not…"

"It'll be fine, Spencer." Morgan assured him. "I promise. She's not gonna get angry or mad… I'm sure she'll be just as happy as you think she'll be. And I'll be there with you to help you, it's not like you'll be all by yourself."

He sighed, nodding. "Alright… I suppose there's no getting around it anyway."

**~/.\~**

Fran hugged them both tightly as they headed for the door. "I'm gonna miss you, Derek!" she said, kissing her son on the cheek.

"I'll miss you too, Momma." he told her, smiling. "But I'll try to come back for Easter if I get some time off, alright?"

"You'd better… and call me too. You always forget to call me."

"I'm busy, Momma. I call you when I get the chance."

"Oh, what, every month or so?" She asked, raising a brow. "I'm sure you call plenty of other people when you're 'busy'…"

"Alright, alright, I'll call you more." he grinned. "You know I love you …"

"You'd better, I'm your mother. And when you do come back… make sure you bring Spencer with you," she said, hugging the thin young man warmly.

"It's been such a pleasure having you here, Spencer. I hope you had a good time…"

"It was wonderful," Reid assured her, smiling. "I really enjoyed it, everything was great."

She smiled, ruffling his hair gently, "Good," she laughed lightly, "I hope I'll see more of you soon, Spencer."

"You will, Momma. Trust me," Morgan told her, wrapping an arm around Reid's waist.

"Don't forget to call!" she called to them as they got into their cab. "I mean it!"

Morgan chuckled and helped Reid get his bag inside and slid in next to him, waving goodbye to his mother as they drove off.

**~/.\~**

They sat next to each other on the plane and Reid was almost as nervous as he had been on the ride to Chicago. "Spencer, calm down." Morgan sighed. "You're gonna be fine. This is your mother we're talking about, remember? And besides that, we'll be in Vegas for the rest of our vacation…" he grinned, "What better way can you think to take time off work?"

Reid sighed, "I know… I'm just nervous, Derek. I want this to go well…"

"It will," Morgan promised. "I'll be there to make sure it does, ok?"

Reid rolled his eyes, "Right… You'll make sure everything's alright, huh?"

"Of course. I am a miracle worker, after all."

Reid snorted, smiling at him. "See there, I made you smile." Morgan told him, grinning. "And just two minutes ago you were all worried."

He sighed, "Fine, fine. Maybe this'll be ok…"

"There is no maybe." Morgan told him. "It will be ok."

Reid smiled, "It will be ok," he repeated. Then he paused, "But when we see my mother… try to keep your hands to yourself, Derek, alright? She's sick and a lot of things can send her into an episode…"

Morgan rolled his eyes, "Oh sure, be like that after all the support I'm giving you with this… that just means I'll have to get all that energy out tonight when we get to the hotel room."

Reid blushed, but grinned broadly, "I had a feeling you'd say that…"

* * *

**E/N: I know it's a little short… I'm sorry! It seems like the chapters always get a little shorter than usual at the end of a story. But I still met my 1000 word quota, so we're good… Plus, I'm working on the sequel too!**

**Don't forget to review!**


	16. I Wish We Could Just Stay Like This

**A/N: Thanks so much for your patience and reviews and awesomeness! (yes, that's a word. Seriously, look it up!) You guys are great!**

**LAST CHAPTER! Wow, I can't believe it, but I finally made it to the FINAL chapter of this story! Without internet through most of it… o.0 I'm kinda proud of myself :3 And of course, extremely grateful to you guys for not giving up on me!**

**Now… let's see how Diana likes Derek…**

**WARNING: Morgan/Reid slash!**

**PLEASE REVIEW! Pretty, Pretty please! It'll get you on the Nice list for like… twelve years, lol**

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Ch. 16: I wish we could just stay liked this

They dropped their suitcases gratefully on the bed in the hotel room and sighed. "Why do so many people come to Vegas for Christmas?" Morgan muttered, shaking his head. They'd had to fight their way through a crowded airport, catch a cab in the chaos, and then fight their way to front desk, where the receptionist had only barely hidden the look of disgust on his face when he realized they were a couple.

"Because they have family here; they want to have an interesting Christmas… you know, Las Vegas started out far below New York on the holiday tourist percentage… but now it's New York's biggest competitor besides L.A. and Orlando…"

Morgan smiled, shaking his head slightly, "Well… Pretty Boy, why don't we go have a little fun, huh?"

Reid smiled, "Derek, it's getting late, you know. It's already after ten… and besides, we have to be up early to go to Benningtons. It would be better if we just stayed here tonight… you can get drunk and lose all of your money AFTER we talk to my mom."

Morgan's grin widened, "…We can do that too, but I was actually talking about something else, Spencer."

Reid blinked, taking a minute to understand. Then his face turned a deep shade of crimson and he looked down, "Oh…" he paused and smiled sheepishly up at Morgan. "Well… we can do that."

Morgan laughed, "Good…" he said, taking his face in his hands and kissing him for a long moment, only pulling away when the need to breath became necessary. "…Merry Christmas…" he whispered, pushing them both down onto the bed and tangling his hands in his hair, pressing his lips to Reid's again.

"Merry Christmas…" Reid grinned against his lips, closing his eyes and sighing in contentment as Morgan shifted them both and slid his fingers underneath the hem on his shirt, tugging it out of his pants.

"I love you," Morgan whispered, moving his lips down Reid's jaw bone to his neck.

"Love you too…"

**~/.\~**

Reid woke up groggy the next morning and took a moment to remember that he was no longer at Morgan's mother's house. And then he realized that Morgan was once again not in the bed next to him. He frowned and rolled over, spotting a folded piece of paper sitting on the table next to the bed.

Sighing, he reached out and snatched it, unfolding it and reading:

"_Pretty Boy,_

_I'll be back soon, don't worry. I didn't want to wake you up…"_

He smiled slightly, shaking his head and glancing at the clock on his cell phone. Seven forty-eight. He yawned and folded back the blanket, getting dressed quickly. He was about to go downstairs and look for Morgan when the door opened and he walked in the room carrying a tray of food.

"You hungry?" he asked, grinning.

Reid smiled, staring at him. "You could've just ordered room service…"

"Could have… didn't want to. I didn't want you to wake up… You look adorable when you're asleep."Reid rolled his eyes, sitting back down on the bed, "I don't know if I can eat…"

Morgan sat down next to him and took one of his hands, "Spencer, you're gonna eat if I have to force feed you. It's gonna be fine, alright? Your mom will be great…"

**~/.\~**

They got to the sanitarium at around eight thirty that morning. Reid was glad to see that despite the insane crowds everywhere else, there weren't many people at the Sanitarium visiting. He fiddled nervously with the handle of the door into the Day Room where his mother was.

"Dr. Reid!" they turned to see a tall, older man coming toward them, smiling. "It's good to see you again…" he said, shaking hands with Reid.

"It's nice to see you too, Dr. Wilcox." he said, smiling kindly.

"And who is this?"

"This?" Reid frowned, turning to Morgan, "…This is Derek… he's my boyfriend." he said slowly.

"Oh… Well… congratulations then…" Dr. Wilcox said, smiling kind of awkwardly at them. "… Your mother will be glad to see you, it's all she talks about around Christmas time."

Reid nodded, glancing back toward to room, feeling his insides twist slightly. "Right…" he said, forcing a smile.

"I'll let you go," the doctor said, hurrying off to talk to more visitors.

"He's been here since mom started living here," Reid explained. "He's one of the only doctors she actually trusts."

Morgan nodded, "Well… shall we go talk to her?" he asked, raising a brow.

Reid bit his lower lip nervously, "I … I guess so." he said.

Morgan sighed, "No guessing, Spencer." he said. "We've got to talk to her… didn't hear what the doctor said? She's been looking forward to this all year."

He sighed, "…Let's go." he said, taking a deep breath and stepping through the door, making his way over to where his mother was sitting. Morgan was right by his side the entire time, trying to encourage him.

Diana Reid was reading a thick book when they took the two seats in front of her, smiling. "Hi Mom," Reid said quietly, smiling at her.

She looked up, her eyes lighting up and she smiled, "Spencer! You're here!"

He laughed, "I always am…" he said, smiling at her. "You got my present…" he said, nodding toward the book in her hands.

She nodded, "I did… You could've given it to me in person, you know, Spencer."

"I know, but I wanted to make sure that you got it on Christmas…"

She smiled, "…Who's this?" she asked, turning to Morgan for the first time.

"Um… well… this is Derek Morgan." he said slowly. "You met him once, remember? …When you came to Quantico that time."

"You mean when you forced me to fly on that airplane… and terrifying me."

Reid bit his lip, "Yeah…" he cleared his throat. "Um… the thing is… Mom… Derek and I are… Well… we're sort of together."

She smiled, "I can see that, Spencer." she said. "I told you before, a mother knows. We sense things…"

He smiled again, shaking his head. She smiled and turned to Morgan, "…You're not involved in any government conspiracies are you?" she asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Morgan shook his head, "No, of course not."

She nodded, studying his face carefully. "And you're treating Spencer right?"

"Mom -"

"Shush, Spencer, let him answer me." Diana said, staring intently at Morgan.

"I could never do anything to hurt him."

She nodded. "Good… because if you do, I'll have to kill you."

"Mom!"

She smiled, "I'm not going to let anyone hurt my baby," she said, shaking her head.

"I'm not gonna let anyone hurt him either, Mrs. Reid." Morgan assured her.

They stayed at the Sanitarium until it was almost three o'clock and Diana and Reid talked about his job and she told them about all of the other patients there and what was wrong with them. She assured Reid that she was taking her medication and doing well…

He tried to get her to let him and Morgan stay with her for the night, but she insisted that they go back to their hotel. Reid hugged his mother and promised to write her again as soon as he was back home and he'd tried to call her sometime within the next week.

They went out to eat at a small Chinese restaurant, Morgan teasing Reid for still not being able to use chopsticks properly, and then they went back to their hotel room, tired but happy.

"See, I told you it would be alright," Morgan said, collapsing on the bed next to Reid, absently running his hands through Reid's hair.

Reid smiled and wrapped an arm around Morgan, resting his head on his chest and yawning. "You were right…" he said, smiling.

"I'm always right…"

"Not always…" Reid amended.

"99 percent of the time then," Morgan grinned, hugging Reid closer to him. "No one's perfect… after all."

Reid rolled his eyes, "99 percent?" he asked, lifting his head slightly. "I'd say it's closer to 78 percent."

Morgan snorted, "Oh sure, coming from a genius who can't figure out chopsticks…" he muttered.

"Derek, you said you'd stop that." Reid whined, frowning.

"Fine, fine." Morgan murmured, kissing the top of Reid's head. "I'll stop."

"Good," Reid yawned, closing his eyes. "…I wish we could just stay liked this… forever."

Morgan smiled, "Me too… Let's just not wake up tomorrow, sound good?"

Reid chuckled, "Definitely…" he murmured, snuggling closer to Morgan's chest. They were lulled to sleep by their breathing and the warmth radiating off of each other's bodies, reveling in the peace of just being in each other's arms.

END

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**E/N: …I'm crossing my fingers right now. Hope it was good! I'm not sure how well I did writing Diana Reid's character…**

**I'm kind of sad that this is over, but don't worry, I'll start posting the sequel as soon as possible! And I've finally settled on a title! It'll be called "His Own Hell" … it'll be more angsty than these first few stories, but there's no torture or anything gory, I promise.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed the story! Don't forget to review!**


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